Distorted Affliction

Chapter Twenty Six

"Can we please stop for coffee?" I begged with a groan as I pushed my legs to match pace with the longer stride of my two Mouri companions. Vanessa hung behind me, not even bothering to keep up. "I might be a witch, but I still have human needs. And coffee is a must."

"Addictions will do nothing but slow you down," Demidicus spoke, turning his head slightly to flash me a brilliant smile. I held back another groan, and when I caught sight of Sin's face, it was apparent that he was suppressing his own humor.

"I'm going to have to agree with August on this one," Vanessa spoke up, her voice tired. "Look, there's a coffee shop, I'm going in."

She didn't wait for permission, and with a quick glance back at the other two, I turned and followed her. Once I had a cup of the magic bean elixir in one hand and a glazed pastry in the other, I rejoined them on the sidewalk as they were discussing the Priestesses.

"I just suggest not bringing up the last time you spoke to her," Sin was saying, but Demidicus was pretending not to listen. Instead, he was eyeing a small table set up on the sidewalk a little ways down from us where a younger girl with dreadlocks framing her face shuffled a deck of tarot cards. Her skirt was made from several different pieces of material, hand sewn together by the looks of it. She wore a pashmina around her shoulders, made from beautiful golden threads that were dingy from the constant use, I assumed.

She glanced up, meeting his gaze and tilting her chin up at him as she sat straighter in her seat. Pushing a long lock from her face, she motioned for him to approach and Demidicus complied with no further conversation. I rolled my eyes as the rest of us stepped closer until we were in hearing range, but made no move to get any closer.

"Care to have your fortune read?" she asked, batting her long lashes at him with a sly smile that matched his own.

"Certainly," Demidicus answered, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall beside her table. "I can never resist a beautiful witch. It'll be my downfall, you know."

The young girl shuffled the cards again, sat them on the table and instructed him to split the deck before she placed the second half of the deck on the top. I had seen a lot of witches reading tarot, though I had never been interested in it myself. Cyrene enjoyed it, I recalled, though it had been such a long time since I had seen her in action. She was very good, and her readings had always been eerily accurate, even for me.

Pushing the same lock from her face once more, she laid three cards out on the table. The first was the knight of swords, followed by the fool reversed. The last card was the six of cups, which depicted two people, one passing a cup full of flowers to the other. She pursed her lips before opening her mouth to explain.

"The knight of swords," she spoke, pointing at the image of a knight holding his sword in the air as he rode on the back of a horse. "This can mean bravery, accomplishment, and tenacity. Notice, though, the color of the sky behind the rider. It indicates a storm is coming. The next card, the reversed fool means recklessness, fearlessness, and risk. Then we have the six of cups, which can denote having problems in your love life, most likely caused by immaturity or an unwillingness to take responsibility for one's actions."

Demidicus didn't speak for a moment, and we all stood in silence as we drank it all in. I would have given anything for the opportunity to read his mind in that moment, to see what was happening behind his furrowed brow. After a couple more moments in silence, he retrieved his wallet from his pocket and offered her a crisp bill with a brilliant smile.

"Thank you, my dear," he said with a small bow. We were getting ready to move further down the sidewalk when she spoke up.

"I'll do her's next."