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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.

#arcana fanfic #arcana visual novel #asra alnazar #nadia x callisto #nadia satrinava x oc #nadia x mc #nadia satrinava #julian devorak #consul valerius #procurator volta #pontifex vulgora #quaestor valdemar #praetor vlastomil #count lucio #the red plague #oc: callisto #oc: morrigan

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k1nky-fool · 6 months

Text

The Ace Of Swords

Book I: The Devil in the Details

Chapter III: The Inevitable

Nadia Satrinava x OC, Callisto

Warnings: Little more sexual tension, future NSFW, Lucio is unsettling, Plague victims, and a lot of angst.

Masterlist

Chapter III:

“Mortals?”

“Yeah, I don’t think Vulgora is any more human than Valdemar.” Callisto said. They were alone on the veranda. Nadia sent the servants away for a little while so they could privately discuss the findings of Callisto’s impromptu magic interrogation. “And Lucio mentioned getting his power from something more powerful than me, and he also had a little bit of a vendetta against death.”

Nadia stared down at her tea, thinking over everything carefully. Callisto began to feel something heavy weighing down on the senses of her magic as she focused. “Nadia, are you being entirely honest with me?”

“You know as much as I do, Callisto.” She says calmly.

“About everything?”

Nadia picks up that she’s searching for something more mystic, but that also means that she just has to follow along. Callisto knows it’s because she herself doesn’t quite know why she’s asking, she just gets the sense that she has to.

“I can’t imagine what else you would need to know about the situation.” Nadia figures. While she isn’t showing any outward signs of aggression, Callisto gets the sense that she’s becoming defensive, but she knows the question she has to ask next.

“What truly brought you to me in the library that day?” She finds herself asking again. “You said intuition, but you realize saying that to me is like saying the wind blew you in.”

Immediately, Callisto could feel the shift in her aura that told her that there was a wall keeping Nadia from answering. So she decided that if Nadia didn’t feel safe enough to tell the truth, Callisto would start with her own honesty. “I can sense that there’s something strong keeping you from telling me.

“I did not hire you to scrutinize me.” Nadia keeps her voice low and calm, but Callisto is finally seeing the defensiveness.

“I know you want me to stop, but you wanted my talents, and right now, they’re telling me that there’s something in you that flinches away from that answer like it’s burned you.” Callisto explains herself fully, but as soon as she says that, Nadia won’t look at her. “Oh, it’s burned you before.”

Nadia takes a deep breath. “Why do you need to know?”

Callisto takes out her deck of cards, and places it on the table in front of Nadia. “Ask the cards.”

“Why would you ask them? Shouldn’t you know your own reasons for wanting that answer?”

“I’m not asking them, you are.” Callisto said. “The Arcana are bound to speak nothing but truth. It’s also why they speak so cryptically. You‘re closed off. So if you can’t hear it from me, I’ll tell you how to hear it from them.”

Nadia eyed her skeptically. This was a little more risky, since someone as solitary as her would usually be just as closed off to the Arcana, but Callisto could read in small, sparkling pieces, around Nadia that she could pull this off if Callisto was a good enough teacher. Thankfully, she was hopeful enough to pick up the cards.

Her hands elegantly shuffled the cards together. “How many do I pull?”

“Start simple with just one.” Callisto instructs. Nadia shuffled once more and pulled the top card, and set it down on the table. It was The Tower.

Oh, the Arcana like this idea.

“How do I hear them?” She asked.

“Start with what you see on the card. I made this deck myself, and every piece of art has a meaning, even if I didn’t know it at the time.” She explains.

“I see a deer carcass covered in red beetles. Its antlers are cracking and on fire. The Tower behind the carcass is getting struck by lightning.” Nadia narrates.

“The Tower is a symbol. The tower was built for a purpose, but in order to move on, the tower must fall. It’s usually a signifier that something you have put a lot of effort into, or perhaps something comforting to you must be brought down in order to continue your journey.” Callisto explains.

Callisto gets up from her seat and kneels beside Nadia, as she holds the card lightly, reflecting the light off the gold accents.

“Close your eyes and let the meaning of The Tower reflect onto the question.” She says. “Why is it important for me to know? Let it spiral, and feel for the answer. Let your intuition guide you to a stop, then listen.”

Nadia is silent for what feels like hours, but could have only been minutes. Callisto stays silent and lets her focus. A tear comes from Nadia’s closed eye, but she wipes it away as she finally opens her eyes and sets the card down.

“What did The Tower say?”

“They said to leave my fear behind. And that you were waiting for me on the other side.” Nadia says quietly.

Callisto can’t help but smile. Not just because of how The Tower had put it, but also because she was just proud of her. It wasn’t easy for Callisto to learn to hear every Arcana, but Nadia had managed it on the first try, with a random card. “And how do you choose to act on the voice of the Arcana?”

Nadia stood, inviting Callisto along with her to the edge of the varanda. “I was all ready to give up hope in Vesuvia.” She confesses. “I had been entertaining the thought of just running away.”

“Where would you go?” Callisto asked.

“Back home to Prakra, with my tail between my legs, admitting that Lucio, the court, and Vesuvia had defeated me.” She said with the general frustration that’s been hiding in her since she saw her at the Consul’s estate.

“So what stopped you?”

“It was a helpless gamble for a reason to stay.” Nadia explained. “I had all but broken down under everything, but I was desperate for just a sign that not all was lost. It might have even been a joke at the moment, but I told Chandra that if she found any hope in Vesuvia, I would take it.”

That was something a little odd. Not to Callisto, or any magician with a familiar, but Nadia wasn’t a magician. She was, however, suspiciously quick to learn magic, and she asked her animal companion to help in her support system. Nadia had all the signs a magician looks for when choosing an apprentice, but it seems she wasn’t interested in following that path.

“I didn’t expect Chandra to lead me out into the courtyard, where I found Clio chasing butterflies.” Nadia says. “And when Clio led me to you in the library.”

At the very least that explains why Nadia was so curious about her. However, Callisto’s attention was drawn to the new aura that surrounded Nadia. She was at peace. “Would it help if I said you’ve given me hope too?”

“To someone of your power?”

“I’m just a magician.” Callisto said. “There are some things I’ll never have control of, but I don’t need to have control. What I need is someone just as devoted as I am to changing things. If you’ve found hope in me, then my only hope is you.”

“I suppose we’ll have to do it together.” Nadia says. “If I may ask, why did you choose to help me?”

“Well, since we’re being honest. I came to the palace because my aunt, Mosyne, died of the Red Plague, and I wanted to find a cure, so nobody would ever feel what I felt again. But The Arcana have been telling me that this plague is no ordinary illness. And now, they’re telling me that I’ll find my answers within the palace.”

“And what do you make of that?”

“Something is deeply wrong in the palace.” Callisto began. “Animals are beings that can be guided by forces like The Arcana. It’s why good magicians always have familiars. I think Chandra brought you to me that day because you asked her to find hope. I needed you that day because I was looking in the wrong place. From my point of view, Clio brought me an answer.”

“Then Fate has chosen us to solve this problem.” Nadia says. “Personally, I don’t like Fate deciding what my responsibilities are, but if there is a chance we can save Vesuvia from The Red Plague, then I suppose I will do Fate this one favor.”

Callisto giggled. “I’m sure Fate appreciates the gesture.”

Nadia smiles, but her attention is quickly caught by something in the garden.

Callisto follows her eyes, and sees the same movement she does as it comes closer to the veranda. The movement stops as the crawling animal comes up the shrubs and exits onto the veranda’s railing.

As it slithers into the faint sunlight, Callisto’s blood runs cold. “What are you doing here?” She asks quickly.

“Callisto, look.” Nadia says, pointing at a small cloth bag in the snake’s mouth, that does look quite heavy for it to be lifting. “Do you know this snake?”

Her question hangs in the air as Callisto is preoccupied with searching the garden for the magician attached to this snake, but she turns up empty no matter where she looks. “What do you have, Faust?”

She takes the invitation cautiously and comes up to Callisto, past Nadia. Faust drops the bag in front of her and looks shy as she coils up, waiting for her to open it. She opens the drawstring and finds a circular disk with a pointing needle on it.

Asra’s compass?

As Callisto holds it in her hand, she can feel the embedded traces of Asra’s magic that come to the surface with a pure intention. She can hear his voice with the whispering mystery that’s always followed him.

“If you go where I can’t follow, then my heart is with you.”

It was his first step. And Callisto could afford to take one too. If Nadia noticed the tear that escaped her eye, then she didn’t say anything about it.

“Thank you, Faust.” She offered her hand to her. “You know I could never be angry with you.”

If snakes could jump, she would have. Faust immediately slithered up her arm and squeezed with all the affection she’d missed in the last few months since they’ve seen each other. “I missed you too. Can you take something back to him for me?”

She spent a few more seconds squeezing before she got back on the railing and waited for her next parcel. Callisto took the emerald necklace off, and focused on the gem. Thankfully, crystals and gems already hold magic energy very well, and this gem was already tied to someone they both knew and loved. She poured every emotion she could into that gem. Every moment she knew Asra was there for her and aunt Mosyne. And every moment she ever spent with Asra that she knew their friendship was one she never wanted to end.

I could never forget where we came from.

She put the necklace in the bag and gave it to Faust, thankfully this one was lighter for her to carry, and she was off much faster than she arrived.

“I suppose Fate is still hard at work, then.”

“No, Asra is.” Callisto said. “I don’t know where he is, or what he’s doing, but I get the sense that it is just as important as what we are doing here.”

“What did you do to that emerald?”

“I sent a message. I don’t want our last meeting to be our goodbye.” She said, “What’s our next move?”

“We need to find something that can string all of this together. You said Lucio got his power from something more powerful than you. I want you to focus on trying to find out what, while I speak to Valerius again. He is most honest when he is being judgemental, so it should be easy to get him to start insulting the rest of the court.” Nadia explains. “Whatever you need to search for an answer to Lucio’s plans, I will tell the servants to get for you.”

Callisto nodded. “I will warn you that finding such a thing may be out of the range for even the Arcana, if Lucio managed to find a powerful being to deal with. There are beings more powerful than Arcana.”

“I somehow doubt that Lucio is competent enough to find anything you can’t handle.” Nadia deadpanned. “He’s more of an opportunist, so I think this being found Lucio, and he was foolish enough to take its offer.”

Figures that if anybody knew his personality well, it would probably be his wife, even as estranged as they are. “Reading the cards for answers about him works better if he’s at least in the room with me, but I know how to get around him.”

“If you think it’s wise, then do as you need.” Nadia says. “Speaking of which, I believe the next session of his portrait is in a few minutes.”

Callisto barely gets a “Shit.” under her breath before she’s running back into the palace to get to the studio on time. She doubts her usual excuse would work on Lucio.

The halls were so long and intricate that it was easy for her to get lost, and eventually, she was. A quick glance at the compass still in her hand, proved strange. It definitely didn’t point North.

She followed the needle, and it brought her to an archway over a stone wall. The stone hummed with a magic she recognized. It was Aunt Mosyne’s magic, still sitting here, waiting to be discovered. She focused on the arch, pressing her hands to the stone, and eventually, she fell directly through the wall, landing on the floor that was just around the corner from the studio.

Collecting herself, and pretending like she knew that would happen, she continued on her way. The air became stale, and the warm light was no match for the cold and gray feeling of a presence that alerted her to an unexpected visitor. Callisto arrived at the same time Lucio was arriving, with Quaestor Valdemar in tow.

“The canals are structured correctly. You do not need to worry about it.” Valdemar commented.

“But Noddy keeps pestering me about it!” Lucio whined.

“I will handle it.” Valdemar turned on their heel and walked briskly away, down the opposite hall.

The immediate feeling that Valdemar was up to something wracked through her, as she was also now in the hall, alone, with Cound Lucio. Nobody to buffer her immediate instincts.

“Callisto! running late?”

“A magician arrives precisely when she means to.” And that’s exactly what she was scared she’d say.

“Oh, all you magicians have your secrets.” Lucio mused.

She could salvage this. “Besides, what better time to arrive than when the man being painted arrives?”

“I suppose that makes sense. Can’t start without me!” There was still a long hallway ahead of them, and right now it didn’t feel like it was getting any shorter.

“A perfect model, and a worthy opponent. You can do it all, Count Lucio.” Callisto said, taking Nadia’s advice to get him talking about himself.

“Please, just call me Lucio.”

Callisto nearly stopped dead in her tracks.

How do I even respond to that?

“Why?- have me drop the title?” She ended up saying, narrowly avoiding putting her foot in her mouth. “Forgive my curiosity, but you hardly seem the type to dislike being honored.”

“Oh, it just gets in the way.” Lucio groans.

In the way of what? My respectful distance from you, because I’m flirting with your wife?

Callisto’s senses were picking up on something much more methodical than neither she nor Nadia expected. However she knew he likely wouldn’t be capable of it if it weren’t for something he really wanted.

“Oh! Are you going to the Spring Ball I’m throwing?” Lucio asked, almost desperately.

There likely wasn’t much of a choice now that he’s brought it up. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” A small sacrifice to get him off her back. She’d heard about it around the palace, and she’d have to be an idiot to not notice the preparations for it. Last she heard, it was in three days.

Lucio clapped in excitement. “Great! Jules tells me you have a wonderful singing voice, I can’t wait to hear it!”

Jules? Julian!?

She’d have to remember to kill him the next time she sees him. Though, she knew several songs that were both direct and indirect insults to rulers or even Lucio himself. It would be funny to sing just one to his face. In front of all his biggest fans.

“Sorry, you’ll have to wait. I’m best at singing when I’m drunk.” She chuckled, as they finally got to the studio door. She wasted no time opening it to find Lyra already set up.

“Perfect! We can start right away.” Lyra quickly handed Lucio his costume and let him go get changed. As soon as he was out of sight, Callisto let out a breath and had to sit down. “How’d that go?”

“Apparently I’m singing at the Spring Ball in three days.” She deadpanned.

“Hey, that’s not the worst I’ve seen some do when alone with him.” Lyra offered comfort.

“Really? What’s the worst?” She couldn’t help but ask.

“Marrying him.” Callisto had to hiss through her teeth to stop herself from saying anything. “The second worst is sleeping with him.”

On that shocking note, Lucio came out of the dressing room in his mighty eyesore. Callisto had to remember what her goal was out of this to even keep herself in the room. With the light spell set up, she could focus on what she and Nadia needed from him.

Callisto made her way to sit on the floor in front of Lucio as she set up a couple different forms of divination. Her cards sat in the middle, a pendulum to her right, and a palm-sized, clear, quartz ball to her left. Aware of her audience, she shuffled her cards with a few fancy moves she’d learned after years of doing this.

“What’s all this?” Lucio asks.

“I have to get some kind of work done while I’m here.” She shrugs, knowing that if Lucio knows she’d reading him, he’ll probably get much more defensive about the truth. “I’m asking the Arcana for guidance on how to best serve the court. Normally I’d do this in my meditation space at my shop, or even on my bunk in the dungeons, but I haven’t had a wink of personal time since the promotion, so I can’t think of a better first audience for my craft.”

Most of that was a lie, and Lyra knew it. Callisto would do this anywhere there was room for it. She’s walked past her in a quiet corner in the palace halls, and even setting this up on the grand staircase like Callisto couldn’t even finish her regular commutes without dropping to the floor somewhere and asking a long chain of questions to mystic beings.

Even still, Lyra didn’t stop her. Though, Callisto got the sense from her glare that she’d bring this up later.

“Actually, if you could help me answer some questions, I would greatly appreciate it.” Callisto said, almost comically catching his attention. “The Arcana speak the truth, but they only lead me as far as my intuition can reach. You know the court better than anybody in the palace, so you’re the best person to fill in the blanks.”

“Don’t think I don’t see what you’re doing, Callisto.” Lucio laughed, and she did her best to keep her smile as her heart dropped. “You wanted my help all along, and so you waited until you’d have me in one spot for a while.”

Every muscle in her body relaxed all at once, but she did her best to play it off like defeat. “Alright, fine. You’re not wrong, I wanted to hear most from you because you know what’s going on. You respect my magic the same way I respect your swordsmanship. We know what real power looks like, and we ally ourselves with those that have what we have. Unfortunately, the rest of your court doesn’t have the same eye for greatness that you do.”

Lucio’s expression was surely the one Lyra would capture. Callisto was well below him, but she could see in the face of victory that shadowed over her, she’d caught him in her web, and he didn’t know it yet. And he would never know it until it was too late. “This ought to be good.”

Callisto shuffled the cards. “Who do you think we should ask about first?”

“How about Valerius? He’s always been a bit of a thorn.” The card that all but leapt out of the deck, fell in front of them. Picking up on her surprised pause, Lucio got interested. “What does that mean?”

She ignored him while she focused on listening to the card. The Hierophant Reversed called out in warning, almost panic.

Tradition can only endure so much before it breaks.

“Consul Valerius is a staunch traditionalist, I take it?” Callisto asks.

“Yes, he’s Vesuvian, born and raised. I would have replaced him by now, but his family has been serving the Countship for centuries, and it's more of a hassle to get rid of him than it is to bear with him.” Lucio rattled, somehow forgetting that the consul’s partner was painting his portrait as he spoke.

“That’s quite helpful.” She noted, shooting an apologetic glance to Lyra, who took a deep breath and continued painting. “Who's next?”

“Hmmm… Oh! What about Valdemar? Even I feel weird around them.”

Callisto shuffled the deck once again, but this time, the card was more resistant to being pulled. When it finally came face up, a dark, muddy, and sick feeling overtook her. Death Reversed.

She had pulled Death before, and its voice always came in faint whispers, or strangely familiar, but altogether haunting songs. However, Death’s voice was beginning to fade, like parted oceans had snapped shut, and it’s drowning away. Callisto is left with the sense that this was recent. The hushed voices left behind a mist that was still fresh and cool.

“Callisto?” He had to have called her name more than once, because she had to force herself out of the trance she was just put in.

“Sorry.” She said with the most genuine shock she’s ever shown in front of him. “Let me try that again.” When she focused on the card again, that deep chasm was all she could feel.

“Spill the beans, Callisto.”

“Lucio, how well do you really know Valdemar?” She asked cautiously, hoping to ply him using his name as he requested.

His face told her everything. He knew exactly what she found, but he was waiting to see how she would react to it. Only now did she realize exactly why Lucio is as dangerous as his enemies say. As soon as he’s decided it’s a battle, he had enough strategic patience to wait until his enemy was weak.

There’s no better way for a coward to fight.

He wanted to see if she would keep his interests and keep quiet, or if she would let the secret out to Lyra. “They keep many secrets close to them. Are you sure they’re being honest with you?”

“Are you saying my Quaestor may want to kill me?”

“No. Whatever Valdemar is, they aren’t malicious toward you.” She assures. “Are they dangerous? Well, that depends on who you ask.”

Lucio’s pleased smile made her sure that he’d be obsessed with her power. “How about Vlastomil?”

Callisto read for the remaining courtiers, but she was left with the same feeling from Justice, Temperance, and The Tower that she felt from Death. Whether it was impending suffering from Justice and Vlastomil, a ravenous hunger from Temperance and Volta, or a searing burn from The Tower and Vulgora, the court was infested with this cosmic silencing wrath. Coupled with how Vulgora referred to her as mortal, Callisto could put two and two together. Valdemar, Volta, Vulgora, and Vlastomil are not human.

“Nadia next.” That suggestion should not have scared her so much, and the fact that it did made her concerned that if Lucio was any smarter, he’d probably be able to tell there’s something going on between Callisto and the Countess.

Looking at him now, she wasn’t exactly that impressed. And she’d been all but lying to him so far, so it’s not like he’ll notice.

“Sure.” She shuffled the cards, but as she pulled the card, she realized that her mind may have been getting a little carried away as she thought of Nadia. The card she pulled came up as The Two of Cups. Immediately, she felt the need to smack the card to cover it up and quickly shuffle it back into the deck, as she made a habit of whenever this would happen in front of Asra, or Mosyne, but thankfully, the only thing that happened was that she froze and could feel the burning on her ears.

“Oh, what’s got you blushing like that?”

Shit.

“Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for me to read for your wife.” She chuckled awkwardly.

“Why, you got a crush on her?” Lucio asks unceremoniously, but as soon as Callisto starts scrambling her mind, trying to find something to say that could save her from the embarrassment in front of Count Lucio, he cut her off. “Don’t worry, I can’t be bothered to worry about what she gets her kicks out of. She lets me do what I want, and I don’t care what she and the magician do while I’m away.”

Choosing between Lucio finding out she thinks his wife is attractive, and him finding out she and Nadia are conspiring to expose the court for magic corruption was a rather easy one to make.

“But if you’re looking for flings around the palace, I could put in a good word for you with the usual suspects.” Lucio offered, but she was immediately hit with an ultimately selfish desire from him.

“Thank you, but I’m fine without it.” She awkwardly rejects, now looking to Lyra for some kind of rescue.

“I think this is a good stopping point for today’s session, Count Lucio.” Lyra said in her usual chipper tone.

Lucio lets out his breath, and his chest deflates. “I love this fur, but it is very heavy.” He notes as he goes back to the dressing room.

“That could have gone worse.” Callisto notes, but Lyra is staying quiet as she begins clearing her easel. The silence held sturdy until Lucio came out of the dressing room.

“Callisto, do you want to go hunting with me?” Lucio proposes as he makes his way to leave.

“Maybe next time, Lucio. Lyra and I have some lighting difficulties to go over.” The excuse would have been weak to anybody that knew better than him.

Lucio shrugged, bidding them farewell, but as Callisto closed the door behind him, Lyra didn’t hold back. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m working with the Countess to uncover a magical disturbance within the court.” Callisto answered. “Unfortunately because their magic is unfocused and volatile, I can’t afford to let them know how I’m investigating.”

“Wow, what aren’t you telling me?”

“I promised that my antics would not be your problem beyond your favor. I’d appreciate it if you kept anything you noticed to yourself. How much do you really want to know about the court?” Callisto asked.

“I won’t keep a secret from Valerius.” She glared.

“I’m not asking you to.” Callisto agreed. “Nadia went to speak with him while I came to speak to Lucio.”

“You are calling a lot of people by given names.” Lyra noticed.

“I’m making friends.” She smiled.

Lyra took a long look at the unfinished painting. “I only have one question.”

“I have an answer.”

“What did the cards really say about Valerius?”

Callisto felt a pang in her heart, knowing what she had to tell Lyra. “Tradition can only endure so much before it breaks.”

Lyra’s face went gray, but she nodded. “Nevermind, I might have to keep that one secret from him.”

Despite everything, Callisto knew she was right. There are some things that some aren’t ready to hear. Receiving such a secret from the Arcana themselves is a power. And powers require decisions. The decision to reveal a secret is up to those that keep it.

“Secrets kept are never safe. Certainly never safer than the truth.” She found herself saying. Valerius seemed to be an imperfect victim of Lucio just like everyone else in this damned city.

“How am I supposed to say that to him? I know that it means that my partner is headed for a difficult decision, but it’s one that only he can make.” Lyra said. “Even if he actually takes it seriously, it only stands to hurt him.”

That was her choice to act on the Arcana’s word like that. As it was everyone’s choice to bear after Callisto read their story in the cards. “As you wish.” Callisto found herself reaching for Asra’s compass, but now that it was in her hand, she figured she must have reached for it for a reason. “I’ll catch up with you later, Lyra. Stay safe.”

She barely heard Lyra’s response before she was following the compass out, down the hall, and right to a strange little, hidden door near the Salon. It was a little taller than her height, but half of it was obscured by a portrait, and it blended almost perfectly into the wall, but the crease was obvious. But at this spot in the hall, very few would be in a position to notice this.

Callisto pressed the bottom of the portrait and the wall came swinging out by only a few inches. The painting turned out to be mounted to the wall in a way that it served as a sturdy handle to pull the stone door out. On the other side, she could close the door behind her, and producing a light was no problem for her as she followed the narrow hallway to two tiny lights coming from the left wall that cut through the dark.

Looking through the holes that produced the light, she found a clear view of the Salon with Valerius and Nadia still discussing their business inside.

“I suppose I don’t see why you hired her.” Valerius says. She can see the nearly empty decanter of wine, and his completely empty glass.

“Callisto is quite talented in her craft. She’s not like the charlatans or snake oil salesmen you see on the streets. Her magic had Lucio and Vulgora on the ropes in a duel.” Nadia vouched. “And she can wrangle Lucio. I admit that is more of an asset than I want it to be.”

“She’s charming. I’ll give her that.” Valerius said coldly. “But charming is the nature of witches, is it not?”

“Witches have a better sense for what’s going on in this city than you do.” Nadia stated, now getting up from her seat. “Honestly, Valerius. If you can’t listen to regular sense, then give the "nonsense" a try.” Nadia was quick to leave, and Callisto continued to watch Valerius after Nadia left.

He sat in silence for a moment, at least until a knock came across the door, and Lyra entered the room.

“I finished with the portrait session today.” She said, falling into the couch beside him.

“How did that go?”

“Callisto was reading him the whole time, so I didn’t have to talk to him.” She said. “Really I should thank her. She’s a natural at capturing his attention. He’s absolutely obsessed with the magic, and I leave without thinking about burning the portrait.”

“The Countess is rather taken with her too.” Valuerius notes. “And I suppose I do owe her for inspiring you to find me.”

Lyra giggled. “Don’t think I don’t understand your discomfort.” She assured him. “She’s… eccentric, and whimsical. Sometimes you see her do something and it’s like she’s just as surprised as you are that she did it. Sometimes she speaks in riddles, and other times she tells you the worst things you’ve heard to your face.”

“Such is the nature of witches.” He muses again. “I’ll let her make her own impressions.”

Callisto had no idea what exactly that meant, but Lyra was happy with it. “I’m glad. Do you want to stay here for dinner or go back to the Estate for Koa’s cooking?”

“I’d prefer to go home.” Valerius said, and Lyra got a wild smile about her.

“Selasi it is.” She grinned, bringing his hands with hers as they left the Salon. Seems everybody has an opinion on her. It makes sense, she’s a foreign influence, suddenly given a lot of power, and sticking her nose in their business. It was a miracle she’d only been in the middle of two fights so far.

The claustrophobic hallway eventually ended with a stone wall, but once she pressed her magic against it, another portal opened just as she expected, and she stepped through.

The sunlight on the other side made her flinch, and it seems this opening had been forgotten by the many generations of gardeners, and she had to push her way through shoulder-high shrubs to find the palace gardens. Next to a willow tree and the capricorn fountain.

“Callisto?” When her eyes finally adjusted to the light, Julian stood by the fountain, looking quite puzzled.

“Sorry, I keep finding these portals around the palace that respond to magic. I never have any idea where I’m going to end up.” She said honestly. Usually when she did that, people thought she was talking in riddles.

Unfortunately, that’s just what magic sounds like when explained literally. Julian, at the very least, was used to this kind of weirdness.

“Anyway, what are you doing out here?” Callisto asked.

“Where did you come from?” He asked at the same time. “I asked first.”

Callisto rolled her eyes. “There’s a hidden hallway that has a hole to spy on the Salon.” She told the truth.

“That’s creepy.”

“Yes it is.” She agreed. “What are you doing out here?”

“I… was talking to Asra in the fountain.” She could tell he didn’t want to tell the truth, but she knew the effect she had on people. It was amazing that Valerius was so judgemental that he’d been the only one to resist it. Lucio seemed to notice it, but became obsessed with it. And Nadia might not even be affected by it at all.

“I take it, he turned tail and ran?”

“More like rippled away.” He joked.

“Ah, the teacup trick.” She easily figured. “Asra can communicate through water no matter how much distance is between him and his conversation.” She explained to Julian. “It’s something I’ve only seen him capable of doing.”

“That doesn’t make much sense, but I guess that’s magic for ‘ya.” He chuckled. “Always a riddle or a trick.”

“Anything new in the dungeons?” Callisto asked.

Julian almost smiled. “Morrigan found the carrier.”

“What!?” It was amazing that Morrigan of all the doctors had been the one to find the Plague's carrier. “She was in my coven as a child.”

“She found the Southern Crimson Beetle. It’s an invasive species from the south, and it seems that Morrigan’s studies lead her to isolate it as the suspect.” Julian explained.

“Those are used to dye high end fabrics. Just the red that Lucio seems so fond of.” Callisto recalled. When she bought materials for new clothes, it was always in the top rack behind the seller’s counter.

“Well, if anything’s going to assassinate him, what better than his own clothes?” He joked.

Callisto couldn’t help but giggle a little too. Having spent time with him, she gets a horribly uneasy feeling any time he’s in the same room. "By the way, I'm jinxing you for telling Lucio I can sing."

"That was a year ago! You weren't even my apprentice yet, can you blame me for talking about my friend?" Julian pleaded.

The moment didn’t even have the time to fizzle out before a servant came running out of the hedge maze.

“Thank the stars!” She cried out. “Magician, doctor, come quick, we need help.”

She caught his frightened eye for just a second as they followed the servant back through the hedge maze and up to the veranda and through the palace to the entrance hall. Where Valerius held Lyra’s unconscious body as he knelt on the floor. “Please, we were about to go home when she collapsed.”

Julian immediately takes her gently and lays her flat on the floor, using his jacket to cushion her head. He takes her pulse and opens her eye, but he immediately stops all at once. Julian wills himself to unfreeze, and checks her other eye. Callisto reaches for her tarot deck, to confirm her own suspicions.

The Tower stares back at her. It didn’t always mean the plague, but if she was asking about the sickness, this was her result. Even though The Tower had gone silent today, she knew it still had a voice, but it would be impossible for her to hear with whatever magic had silenced them. Whether reachable or not, it didn’t change Lyra’s fate.

“Consul, I’m sorry.” Julian almost hesitated to say. “She has the Red Plague.”

His face went pale, and he did his best to hide his shaking by holding her hand. “Isn’t there anything you can do!?” Valerius snapped. “Isn’t that your job!? To find a cure for her!?”

Callisto took a chance, fully in the dark about whether she was capable of this type of magic. She’d only ever been able to put this into an object, but thinking of Lyra, she just reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Valerius.” Her voice was quiet, and as the spell peaked, she couldn’t stop herself from crying.

The panic that seized her made it hard to breathe. The desperation of being willing to lose everything but what fate is taking from her, left a gaping chasm in her heart. The fear of having to face a world that Lyra does not live in, made everything so much more hopeless. All of this from Valerius, was trapped within Callisto for a temporary moment.

While she took that burden from him, the spell was an equal exchange. She knew what Valerius was feeling because she had been feeling it all just a moment ago. The aching feeling like this was all her fault. That she’d been the reason that Lyra was even at the palace, and that it was her carelessness that brought this upon someone she loves. Only Valerius would feel it imposed on himself.

Their own emotions eventually filled in, but now they both knew exactly how each other felt about having to face this reality.

He turned to her, somehow managing to stop himself from crying. “Why?”

“Because I’m sorry.” Callisto was not as gifted in keeping her tears to herself, and couldn’t even stop herself from sobbing.

Valerius wouldn’t utter the same as his dying words, but the gesture of placing his hand atop hers on his shoulder said enough for him. He was sorry too.

She was set up in one of the guest bedrooms. The entire hall had a fence that kept the room quarantined for everyone’s safety now that she’s in the latter days of the second phase of the plague. Julian eventually emerged from the guest room and made his way to her by the fence.

“How’s she doing?”

Julian ran his fingers through his hair, revealing his expression was not a hopeful one. “Her infection has been a long one. The leeches wouldn’t even bite with how infected her blood is. Leads me to believe that something happened recently that might have caused it to rapidly spread.”

He might not consider the same possibilities that Callisto would, and her immediate revelation. “Julian, she uses the beetles as pigment in her paint.” Which explained how she initially got infected.

“So this was inevitable.” He sighs, knowing this was just one case among thousands just like it.

Callisto saw another sign in her reading of Lyra. The pigments were only the start. The catalyst was a choice out of hopelessness. She kept a secret from the Arcana, and this was the ripple of it. It wasn’t her fault. There’s never any way to know for sure what the future holds, but making a choice that hurts to make will always be more painful in the fallout. Even if she had told him, there’s no way to know if this isn’t how her life would end.

“Maybe it was.”

#arcana fanfic #arcana visual novel #asra alnazar #nadia x callisto #nadia satrinava x oc #nadia x mc #nadia satrinava #julian devorak #consul valerius #procurator volta #pontifex vulgora #praetor vlastomil #quaestor valdemar #count lucio #the red plague

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