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k1nky-fool · 6 months

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The Ace of Swords

Book I: The Devil in the Details

Chapter IV: Blessings and Curses

Nadia Satrinava x OC, Callisto

Warnings: The Red Plague, angst, Lucio is still weird.

Masterlist

Chapter IV:

Lyra had asked for her presence the next morning. Which Callisto figures is good news, since she was conscious enough to ask for someone to talk to. When she arrived in her room, Lyra was sitting up. Valerius was absent from the room, which she noted as odd, but Julian was there writing down everything he could, even as illegible as his handwriting was.

“Callisto, thank you for coming.” Lyra relaxes. “I need your help.”

“Lyra, there’s not much I can do for you that Julian can’t.” Callisto said, noting that both her eyes had the red scaleria and she looked like she didn’t get a minute of sleep.

“I know.” She said. “You can’t cure the plague, but you can make me look like I don’t have it.”

She knew exactly what she was talking about. If Callisto could create light from any description, then making Lyra an illusion of health wouldn’t be impossible. “I would have to make you something that wouldn’t decay.” Callisto said. “A charm like that would take a little while to make.”

“Valerius will pay you to get the materials and for the rush.” Lyra said quickly. “I need to be able to fool Lucio.”

Julian stopped writing, and it caught Callisto off guard too. She however, recovered fast. “Hey, I don’t need a reason to make a fool of Lucio.” Thankfully, Lyra found it funny. Callisto took a notebook out of her bag and started writing down ingredients she’d need, and her regular rate for a spell like this. “Should I give this to you or the Consul?”

“He’s meeting with the Countess for tea right now. Since you’re friends with the countess, you could catch him there.” Lyra said.

“Gotcha.” She nodded. “Stay alive.”

Lyra laughed. “I would rather give him the plague than die with a portrait unfinished.”

“You know he’ll ask me to summon your ghost so you can finish it, right?”

“Good, I’ll haunt him while I’m at it.” She huffed, turning over in bed.

Nothing like an inevitable death to change an attitude. “Take care of her, Julian.”

“I’ll do everything I can.” He said, but his voice was shaky, and unconvinced. Julian was never good at focusing on the present. The inevitable drop that every patient experienced was hanging over his head. There wasn’t much Callisto could do to help him out.

When she found Valerius and Nadia on the veranda, sipping tea, Valerius was the first one to notice her. “Welcome Callisto. I take it Lyra got the chance to speak to you.”

“Yes, she told me to give this to you.” He took the folded up piece of paper, and studied it.

“That’s all?” He asked, perplexed. “I expected you to take advantage of the proposition.”

“My prices are enough to sustain my lifestyle. Most of the high prices are for specific ingredients that are difficult for me to obtain.” She explained, as Nadia gestured to invite her to sit down. “Besides, I think it would be plain evil to take advantage of a client that needs my services.”

“I appreciate the gesture.” Valerius said blankly, as if it pained him to say so.

If Callisto had gotten to know Nadia at all in the last few days, then she definitely knew that Nadia had already figured out what was going on with Lyra whether or not Valerius had told her.

“I hope you understand, Countess, Lyra’s privacy is very important to me.” He said, tucking the note into his jacket.

“You needn’t worry Consul.” She promised. “The palace will keep her safe.”

“I appreciate it.” He nodded. “If you would excuse me, I have some matters I must attend to quickly.”

Nadia didn’t immediately jump onto asking about what he learned from Lucio. Lyra’s prognosis was a shroud that hung over the entire palace. It seemed that she’d found a place in the hearts of everyone that stumbled upon her. Even someone as haughty as Valerius couldn’t help but fall in love with her.

“She wants to finish the portrait, then?” Nadia asked.

“Can you blame her? I’d haunt my shop if I left a spell undone.” Callisto attempted to lighten the mood, but the small smile on Nadia’s face disappeared as fast as it had appeared.

“I often wish I could have answers to my questions, even as selfish as some are. It’s a horrible kind of longing, when you want for something that you know was never yours to reach for.” Nadia mused, looking up at clouds swirling above Vesuvia.

“Why not try to reach for answers?” Callisto asked.

“Because when I ask why, I am terrified to hear what I will be told.” Nadia said, honestly.

“I get terrifying answers every day.” She said. “I’m more scared of finding questions that don’t get answers.”

“Have you ever had a question that never got an answer?” Nadia asked.

“I got four yesterday.” Callisto reported, and Nadia immediately looked at her in shock. “Valdemar, Vulgora, Volta and Vlastomil. I read them in front of Lucio and it is clear to me that they are not human. On top of that, whatever they are, they’re powerful enough to silence one Arcana each.”

“I expected that the news would get worse before it gets better. Not this much worse.” She sighed.

“Did you learn anything from Valerius?”

“He suspects that the court’s incompetence is related to Lucio’s influence. However, he did note that Valdemar is far more malicious than the others.” She explained. “I think if anyone knows the most, it’s the Quaestor, yet I suspect getting any answers from them will be impossible unless we have something to offer them.”

“Hate to be crass-”

“No you don’t.”

“Fair enough, but we don’t have shit for Valdemar.” Callisto said. “There is nothing we have that they want.”

Nadia agreed. “We may need to ask the Arcana for a new approach, then.”

She didn’t need to be asked twice. The deck all but lept into her hand, and with a small shuffle, a card fell out of the deck and landed face up on the table.

The Moon was making his appearance once again, but the feeling she got was not any kind of answer or even question. Callisto closed her eyes and concentrated, but the vision that she received was a memory. Nadia’s open balcony door from a few nights ago. Clio’s voice rang in her head.

“Invitation.”

“I have another approach.” Callisto said, “Do you have somewhere I can perform a ritual without being found?”

Nadia caught her eye with a mischievous smile. “I do.”

Callisto followed her through luxurious halls until they got to a gilded door that she quickly realized was Nadia’s bedroom, but they didn’t stop there. Nadia brought her to a wall in the corner of the room where a hidden lever revealed a stone staircase. They ascended stairs in silence for a long while, but Callisto couldn’t help but focus on Nadia pulling her by the hand as they continued. Once at the top, a beautiful studio was the reward. The ceiling was vaulted and there was an unmistakable owl roost near the top. The walls were marble, and the windows were stained glass. There was a crescent pool that was filled by a sparkling, waterfall, fountain. The other side of the room was home to a desk filled with small clockwork pieces.

“Welcome to my contemplation tower.” Nadia smiled. “I admit I would often use this place to hide from the palace as a whole, but if you do not wish to be disturbed, then this is the place for you.”

“I’m your only guest?” Callisto asked.

“You and Chandra.” Nadia teased. “But to be completely honest, we are her guests.”

She couldn’t deny that she felt special. Like maybe Nadia was more open to Callisto than she initially thought. Up until three days ago, Nadia was an elusive figure among Vesuvia’s most elite. Now she’s letting Callisto in on where she was hiding all this time. It’s a gesture of trust that leaves her blushing.

“This will work perfectly.” She smiles, and sits beside the water.

“What sort of ritual are you performing?”

“I’m going to speak to an Arcana.” Callisto answered. “They exist in worlds far beyond ours, and magicians can reach them through a personalized gate. I’ve had a gate since I was fifteen, but it has been a while since I’ve tried to contact any of them.”

“When was the last time you attempted this?” Nadia asked.

“When Aunt Mosyne died. I spoke to The Empress to meet with her one last time.” Callisto said. “Now I’m trying to reach The Moon, but I need to stash my body here while I’m traversing the Arcana’s world.”

“Is this dangerous?” Nadia asked, through a strained voice. “I admit I’m not an expert in this craft, but I understand that metaphysical travel is not always safe.”

“I won’t lie to you. It’s fairly dangerous, but the good news is that magic is considerably amplified in metaphysical worlds.” Callisto said. “I’m not unprepared, Nadia.”

Nadia let her lay down, and as she drifted off, she found herself being dropped into water.

Callisto remembered this, knowing that if she could just convince herself that she didn’t need to breathe, she wouldn’t drown.

When Callisto broke the water’s surface, she found a bench beside the fountain she’d crawled out of. Her clothes weren’t wet, and the world before her was something she knew she’d missed. Her gate was a beautiful pavilion in a garden, the night sky sparkled with moving stars that drifted around like ocean currents. Fluffy insects and glowing cotton puffs from the rainbow trees floated through the air and made their home in the gate.

From the far side of the garden, Callisto spotted someone walking down the cobblestone path. Once the figure was within sight, she was left a little confused. “Morrigan?”

“Oh, this is your gate.” She stated blankly, like she had only just realized where she was. Morrigan was always priestly, with long, dark robes and ornamented, black, locks. It was rare that her face held any expression, but Callisto’s skills always made it easy to read her. Though, while her senses were sharper here, Morrigan’s mask was stronger too, and Callisto was no longer more skilled than her old coven sister.

“What are you doing here?” She asked.

“Finding you, I suppose.” She replied, but Callisto knew she wasn’t being difficult. In these realms, there was often no telling where anybody would show up. The only thing Magicians like them knew was that they end up exactly where they’re meant to be.

“Do you have a message or a question for me?” Callisto asked.

“A little of both.” Morrigan said. “I gave Julian a tonic. It has the potential to delay the plague for some time, even in the second and third phases, but eventually the plague gains a resistance to it within the patient.”

“That buys time, something we desperately need.”

“But my question is a little more grim.” Morrigan warned. “The Runes have told me that you’re in dangerous waters.”

“What do you want to know?”

“What are you prepared to do to put an end to this?” Morrigan asked.

Was this really Morrigan? It wasn’t uncommon to find figures that were illusions of those she knew. But the mask she put up was recognizable as hers. Obscurity was where Morrigan had always resided. It seemed that Callisto needed to find her more than Morrigan needed to find her.

“I’m prepared to give anything.” Callisto said. “Vesuvia is sick, and I have an opportunity to eradicate the disease. I’d be selfish to give anything less.”

Morrigan leaned against the pillar as she watched the sparkling garden. “I was scared you might say that. I can’t deny that what happens next isn’t what you would have wanted.”

There was something bugging Callisto about Morrigan being here. It wasn’t an imposter, but it wasn’t Morrigan as she knew her. She was more powerful, more stoic, more concealed, and more surreal.

All at once the truth was revealed to her like the light hitting her face just right to catch a glimpse of her true face. “You’re older than me.” Callisto noted. “But you’re six months younger than me.”

“I should have known you’d figure that out.” Morrigan sighed, but wasn’t too upset by it. Callisto had a million questions, but knew Morrigan wouldn’t answer them. It was dangerous to know too much about the future, especially here in the metaphysical world. “Go, as I recall, you’re on your way to communicate with The Moon.”

So she finds out about this one way or another. “Do I make it?” Callisto asks.

“You will find what you need.” Morrigan wisely dodges, but Callisto knows how to read a magician's words. Even if this journey goes poorly, she will find something she needs.

“Thank you.” Callisto nods, and finds her own way down the path, until she’s passed through her gate into a road among the stars. Beneath the invisible road was a churning void of something horrifyingly alive.

“Ruff!”

The bark startled Callisto away from looking into the abyss. The being that stood in front of her was almost like an Arcana. She was a dog, but she stood like a person, and wore a dress with many layers for traveling, with a wooden walking stick in her paw.

“Hello.” Callisto greeted awkwardly. “You’re new.”

She wasn’t immediately scared of the traveler like the abyss below. There were many things that could put on a friendly face to lure someone into a trap, but Callisto’s intuition hadn’t led her astray yet.

“Can you take me to The Moon’s realm?” She asked.

The dog nodded. “Hmph.”

Callisto followed her along the road, moving in rushed steps to avoid being out here for too long. Being able to walk for so long without feeling tired was always an interesting feeling. Though, Callisto found herself looking down at just the wrong moment. Something, reaching out of the void, wrapped itself around her leg, and pulled her to the floor, but as soon as she hit, and her guide noticed she’d fallen, the floor disappeared out from under her, and she plummeted into the abyss.

When she could finally tie herself back to her senses, she was falling through branches until she hit a slimy, watery surface. Once she had surfaced again, she could stand on the marshy ground and take a look at where she’d ended up.

It was nearly impossible to see farther than a meter in front of her with the mist hanging low in the air. Trees that extended far into the mist, rooted in the swampy water, and an ominous red light came from every direction and illuminated the mist, but Callisto found herself deciding that this mess wasn’t for her to navigate on her own.

So long as she knew a tool to be in her bag, she could use it here. Asra’s compass pointed directly in front of her, and she followed it carefully. The needle would point her around certain puddles of water that looked suspiciously dark, and away from roots that she swore she’d seen move. The compass spun in a circle as soon as she found an island in the swamp with a red lamp post.

“I hope you’ll forgive me.” A disembodied voice said to her. “Mortals hardly ever reach here if they are looking for me.”

“Then I take it the invitation was from you, Hanged Man.” Callisto identified him easily. “I’ve heard your voice before.”

“You’re sharp, magician.” The Hanged Man said. A raven headed being came from the mist and stood in the lamplight with her.

“You likely know why I’m here.”

“You’ve exhausted your answers, and you need more questions.” He summarized. “I can’t imagine a better reason to come to The Arcana realms.”

“Well, you have a history of being elusive with answers. If I’m going to leave confused anyway, I might as well be confused about new things.” Callisto figured.

“So what compelled you to traverse here?” He asked as Callisto sat on the ground under the lamp, but she was quickly met with a chair made out of woven roots that appeared beneath her.

She pulled her feet onto the chair, making herself comfortable. “As you said, I’ve exhausted my answers and need better questions.” She repeated. “It’s clear that the Plague is tied to the Court, but I can’t narrow down exactly how, or even what started it. I know that questioning them can only get us so much, and we need a new plan.”

“We?” He clicked.

“Nadia and I.” She clarified. “She and I are helping each other root this out.”

“Why Nadia?” He asked.

Her heart dropped at his question. “Why not Nadia?”

“Why not Asra?” The Hanged Man parroted her. “Why not Julian, Valerius, Lyra, or Morrigan? Nadia is not your only option, so you have clearly chosen her. So why Nadia?”

Callisto felt empty, not having an answer for something she really should have considered before now. “Because she was the only one that cared to ask me for my help.”

“Then why didn’t you ask for Asra or Julian’s help? You had just as much agency to ask for their help as Nadia did to ask for yours.” He pointed out, but the mist closed around her, and she appeared in her shop.

The shelves are stocked well enough for when she opens again, and the lamp outside the shop was dark to alert the street that she’s closed. Callisto was packing supplies for her bunk in the plague dungeons with the rest of the doctors. She would have to be there full time for the first few weeks, and she wanted to make sure she’d have everything she needed.

The door unlocked, and she froze, as Asra caught her red handed. The Salamander sat atop the stove illuminating Callisto as she packed her bag. “I didn’t think you’d be in town until morning.” She pointed out.

“Callisto, what are you doing?” He asked.

“Packing.” She stated bluntly. “I’m going to the palace to study the Plague. I’m apprenticing under Julian.”

Asra tried to rest his hand atop hers to slow her down. “Callisto, we talked about this-”

“It’s not your choice.” She picked up the bag to leave Asra, but he grabbed the bag.

“Callisto, you know how dangerous Lucio is!” He begged.

“You keep saying that, but you haven’t explained yourself once!” Callisto shouted back. “No shit he’s dangerous, he’s the fucking Count. I’m not stupid, Asra, I can defend myself!” She yanked the bag away from him and began walking away.

“You don’t know what he’s capable of!” He yelled.

“You don’t know what I’m capable of!” The shockwave that split the air of the shop made Asra’s ears hurt, as he fell to his knees. She was so angry and hurt that after nearly a decade of being his friend, the only time he wouldn’t trust her was when she really needed him to. “I wanted you to come with me! But if you won’t help me, then I’ll do it myself.” She began to leave, while Asra got back to his feet. “Now get out of my shop. I don’t want to see you again.”

As she left the shop, she came back to the Hanged Man’s realm. She knew she’d never left, but the experience was jarring. He stood in front of her now. “Why didn’t you ask Julian?”

She fell through the muddy ground and appeared in another memory.

The dungeons were always most daunting at night. Especially as she aided Julian in an autopsy.

“Forceps.” Julian ordered, and she did as he said. The masks they wore were a little difficult to see through as they fogged up in the damp dungeon, but while that made it easier to look at the violence in front of them, even with the herbs and flowers in the beak of the mask, the smell was always rancid.

She knew he was investigating the neurocentric damage of the plague, so she looked away while she handed him tools to dissect the cadaver’s brain.

“Scalpel.” was his next command that she obeyed. But as he continued, he slowed down. “I hate when I’m right.”

“What?”

“This state of cerebral necrosis is concurrent with nearly a week’s worth of decay.” He explained. “This patient passed last night.”

The delusion symptom now had an explanation, but finding a way to combat it would be a long way away.

“Why don’t you go get some rest, Callisto. You’ve been awake for forty-eight hours.” He suggested.

“You’ve been awake for almost seventy-two.” She jabbed back.

“We should both get some sleep.” He concedes. “Quaestor? Would you like to pack him up?”

“Would I ever.” They appear, nearly out of nowhere, but their presence is always lurking beneath the palace.

Julian helped her out of her coat as she took the whole thing off with her gloves. She helped him do the same, even as their masks bumped with how bulky they were. She hesitated to help him take off his mask, and instead reached for her own.

He was nice enough to walk her up to her own bunk. “Are you alright, Callisto?”

“I knew what I was signing up for. If I couldn’t stomach it, I’d have quit weeks ago.” She said plainly.

“I think you’re ready to do your own independent studies.” He blurted.

“You can’t be serious.” She laughed.

“I am.” He says. “I’m no magician, but you definitely are. Now that you know the basics, you can apply your own skills to your studies. I think it would do you a lot of good.”

“You sure this isn’t you pushing me away?” She asked, unfortunately remembering how Asra had reacted the first time she brought up studying under Julian at the Palace.

“Can you honestly say that your best work is elbows deep in corpses?” He asked, and he had a point. “With your own studies, you would also be able to split your time between your shop and the palace. You’d have a lot more luck using skills and tools you’re familiar with.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” She agreed.

When she came back, she was sitting in the chair again, but the Hanged Man was no longer standing with her. “I felt like I didn’t know Asra at all, but I knew Julian too much.”

“So why choose Nadia?” His voice came from everywhere once again. The chair’s roots wrapped around her arms and legs and began pulling her into the water behind the lamp. She knew she wouldn’t have to breathe, but this also felt much more real than the other two illusions.

Callisto couldn’t fight it at all and was pulled under the water. She had no idea how long she was under water, but eventually the roots released her as she relaxed. When she found the surface of the water, she wasn’t in the Hanged Man’s realm anymore.

Knee deep water surrounded her as she stood on an obsidian floor. Off in the distance, she saw a pavilion, but instead of a roof, the pillars were so tall that she couldn’t see where they ended. But as she got closer to it, the crescent moon was framed by the pillars along with a wolf-headed figure.

The Moon said nothing, but he stepped aside to show Callisto the water behind him that reflected the light from the moon above.

The light swirled in a way that hypnotized her. “What is this?”

“Watch.” Was all he said.

The light changed to an image of Nadia and Callisto dancing together, but they both looked different. Callisto looked like an entirely different person. Different clothes, different hair, and her expression was one of whimsy and excitement. Nadia looked happier, wearing a suit instead of her regular dresses, and she held Callisto close, like they were free to be happy together.

“Is this real?” She asked. Callisto hadn’t seen herself so happy since she was a child.

“What are you prepared to do to achieve this?” He asked, and Callisto felt her heart begin hurting.

She fell to sit down on the steps and tried to put pressure on her chest to stop the pain. “I’m not here for something so selfish.”

“Are you?”

“It’s not for me to have, while everyone else is still suffering.” Callisto argued through the stabbing in her heart.

“You are suffering.”

“So is everyone else!” She screamed out, but the pain wasn’t subsiding. “What do I have to do!?”

The pain stopped all at once. She looked back at the water and saw her reflection staring back at her with plague infected eyes.

Before she could even jump back in horror, Callisto awoke back in Nadia’s tower. Her heart was beating faster than a field mouse, and she jumped up to immediately run to test herself for the plague, but Nadia stopped her. “It’s alright! You’re safe.” She quickly assured.

“I need to test myself for the plague.” Callisto ordered, and continued back down the tower’s steps. The cards would likely just confirm her fear if she were to read them, but Julian had many more ways to test for the sickness.

“Callisto wait!” Nadia followed after her. She didn’t catch up to her until she was already half-way to Lyra’s room. “Stop for just a moment.” She finally caught her wrist and stopped her. “What is going on?”

“I got another question I don’t have an answer for.” She said, pulling away from her, but Nadia didn’t stop her this time, letting her head off to get to Julian.

She knocked before entering, but she didn’t wait for Lyra to finish saying it was alright to enter before she opened the door.

“Did Valerius play nice?” Lyra teased, but Callisto immediately went for Julian’s bag.

“What are you doing, Callisto?” Julian asked, seeing her shaky hands find a guarded scalpel, and cut her finger with it. She took the bottled leech out and popped the cork off, letting a drop of blood fall into the leech’s water. She closed the cork again and waited to see the leech’s reaction. Every muscle in her body relaxed as the leech curled around the blood, instead of pushing itself against the glass away from the drop.

“Oh, thank the stars.” She whispered to herself. Now she had much more to consider. “I’m ok. I thought I might have been exposed.”

“I’m glad everything is ok.” Julian said.

“Sorry.” Callisto said. “I need to get started on that charm.”

Upon returning to the guest room that Nadia had given her, Valerius was not kidding about getting the materials fast. He also got her much more than she wrote down. She’d be set on rare herbs for months.

He also managed to get her a selection of peridot stones. She was pulled toward the tastefully cut peridot ring, knowing that if Lyra had to wear this, it might as well be something nobody would look twice at.

Callisto let her intuition guide her as she made the charm, figuring out the appearance that needed to be presented. She thought of what needed to be concealed and what she needed to include with every ingredient she added. When her work was done, she went to bed, but her mind was still racing. It’s no wonder that she ended up back at her gate.

She walked in this time, thankfully without the sound of running water, she didn’t wake up in the fountain. But now that she was here, she couldn’t help but wonder why she was here. Such a long time away from here, but being called here twice in one day was quite a peculiar event.

When she walked down the path, she immediately found herself in a brilliantly colored oasis, but she couldn’t stop and appreciate the beauty as she got the sinking feeling of recognition in the magic. This was Asra’s gate.

Looking back, the doorway had closed. So the only way out was forward.

As the edge of the water came closer, she spotted a figure sitting against a palm tree, but he saw her too. Asra waved to her, but didn’t say anything, as if he already knew she was just passing through. But she figured she was here for a reason, so she approached him.

“Hey, Callisto.” He wouldn’t meet her eyeline.

Callisto knelt down in front of him and held out his compass to return it to him. “I got your message, but you need this more than I do.”

“I got yours too.” He accepted the compass, turning it over in his hand, using it as a distraction to not have to look at her. “Are we really ready to be friends again?”

The question pulled at her heart. “Asra, I needed you to trust me, and you didn’t.”

“And I needed to keep you safe.” He said. “Callisto, I would do anything to keep you safe.”

“Anything except trust me to keep myself safe.” She argued, getting back up to leave.

“Wait, Callisto. I wasn’t lying in my message.” She stopped, letting him speak. “Even if I don’t want you there, I want you to be successful. If there’s anyone that can save the city, it’s you.”

“I didn’t lie either, Asra.” She said, “You’ve been my best friend for six years. I know you wouldn’t be warning me if it wasn’t important to you. But you’ve known me as long as I’ve known you. Whatever you’re doing, I know it’s dangerous, but just as important, and I trust you to handle it. Let me handle the plague.”

“I’m trying to take down the Coliseum.” Asra said. “Muriel is trapped there, and I need to get him out.”

Callisto felt sick. Lucio and Vulgora were in charge of the Coliseum, and both of them had Muriel fighting in the arena. Muriel was the gentlest spirit she’d ever met. The horror of him being tormented at Lucio’s command made rage spread through her body, but when the sand beneath her feet began turning to glass, she calmed herself.

“I can bring it to the attention of Nadia. At the very least, she can get him some place to rest away from the Coliseum and it might give you a better chance to help him.” Callisto offered.

“Thank you, Callisto.” He smiled. “Anything you need from me?”

She thought for a long moment. “I could use some advice.” She sat down once again. “I’ve exhausted all my answers, and I need better questions. When I spoke to The Hanged Man and The Moon-”

“You managed to visit both The Hanged Man and The Moon?”

“On the same day, but really I fell into both.” She explained. “Anyway, both of them were more concerned about my relationship with Nadia.”

“You’re in a relationship with Countess Nadia!?” Asra exclaimed.

“A friendship, Asra.” She clarified. “They wanted to know why I chose to help her instead of asking you or Julian.”

“Well, why did you?” He asked.

“Because she asked.” Callisto answered again.

“Well, you could have asked too.” Asra said.

“You sound just like The Hanged Man.”

“When the Arcana give you a question, you usually can’t get another one until you have your answer.” Asra explained. “If that was the right answer, then you would have more questions by now.”

“I don’t know what kind of answer they’re looking for.”

“Well, deconstruct it. A little shadow work never hurt anybody.” He said. “What attracted you to Nadia?”

“Intuition?”

“And water is wet.” Asra commented.

“Not here!”

“Do you want my help or not?”

“Fine.” Callisto groaned, thinking about the day she met Nadia. She closed her eyes and let the memory resonate within her. “She was curious, and mysterious.” She recalled her entering the Library and sitting down with her. She asked about her shop, and her craft with interest. “She was honest and intelligent. And the Arcana had a lot to say to her.”

“What did the Arcana say?”

“The Ace of Swords said she was powerful, and that she hadn’t yet decided to wield it, but when she did, she would lose almost everything, as the Five of Cups said. But the High Priestess promised her that her intuition would guide her.” Callisto recalled.

“It’s good that there’s at least one level-headed leader in Vesuvia.” Asra said. “What about after the reading? What stood out about her to you?”

“It was still the Arcana at that point.” Callisto admitted. “The cards had been difficult to read until Nadia came and asked her question. I was curious as to why they responded so well to her.”

“So what was it that made them respond to her?” He probed.

She thought back to her aura after the reading. “I was worried about her. I could see that her endeavor would lead her to danger, and I knew that if she did it alone, she would be hunted by her obsessions.”

“Were you worried enough to go with her then?” He asked.

“No, it wasn’t until we spoke at the Consul’s estate that I was fully committed to helping her.” She found.

“Then what was it there that convinced you?”

That was the question she was looking for to be able to figure this out. Nadia’s invitation was set in her mind, but the open door was not the choice. So what made her close the door behind her? “She asked me to call her by her first name.”

“And why was that so important to you?” Asra asks, knowing it’s the last question.

“Because she trusted me.” Callisto opened her eyes, feeling lighter now that she’d gotten to the bottom of it. Asra also realized what that meant for him and Julian. She didn’t ask them because they didn’t trust her. Julian didn’t trust her to handle the dungeons, and Asra didn’t trust her to make her own choice, while Nadia did. Her first gestures were ones of faith in Callisto, and she had given her faith to Nadia.

“There’s a door in the Oasis.” Asra informed. “Keep going in the direction you were going before. If the door feels dark, leave it, but you’ll know when you find the right one. You’ll find someone that can give you more questions.”

Callisto thanked him and got up to leave. “And Asra.” He looked up to her. “When this is all over, come back to the shop. It feels a little empty without you there, and Mosyne would haunt my ass if I ever locked you out of there permanently.”

Asra smiled. “I’ll see you when this is all over.” He promised.

Callisto did as Asra said, walking down the desert, ignoring the doors that pulled her in with intrusive and unsettling thoughts, but when she found the door near the end, she could feel something else pulling her in. It was something more mysterious, and mischievous.

As soon as her hand landed on the doorknob, she was on a beach and the door was gone. The waves were illuminated as they crashed, and the sand was soft and pleasant beneath her, and the gentle breeze that tossed the palm leaves whispered in languages she couldn’t recognize.

“Another curious student. How extraordinary.” A voice she knew spoke kindly.

“Magician.” Callisto spotted them further down the beach and walked up to them. “I’ve come looking for questions.”

“Then you have come prepared.” The Magician mused. Their fox-like expression made her certain that they had what she was looking for, but she knew no Arcana gave such questions out freely.

“Am I really prepared?” she asked.

“Are you willing to accept what you do not know?” They asked.

“Yes.”

“Then you are prepared.” They brought them away from the shore, and together, they entered an illusion of her shop. They sat down in her booth, and her tarot cards sat in the middle of the table. “First, what do you know?”

Callisto explained everything to The Magician. How the court weren’t humans, Lucio was planning something, and the plague was connected somehow.

“You have a lot of knowledge, but no perspective.” The Magician noted. “What perspective might give you a better image of your predicament?”

“I have the perspective of a Magician.” Callisto said.

“There are even things which are unknown to me.” The Magician said. “It is clear that this perspective will not be helpful until you see through a different one.”

“Then what do I look through?”

“Perhaps you haven’t even answered your most important question.” They proposed. “After all, do you even know what The Red Plague is?”

Callisto reached for the cards and asked the question. The Devil stared back at her, but while she did not receive any words, she heard the same chilling laughter that she heard the day Nadia came to her. “An obsession?”

“Close.” The Magician smiled.

Callisto focused harder, but when she closed her eyes, she saw nothing but red, and as burning chains slithered around her neck and limbs, she opened her eyes to expel them. “It’s a curse.” She realized. “Whose curse is it?”

“You have your questions, magician.” They smiled, and the world fell away as Callisto woke up in bed.

Asra’s compass was no longer in her bag.