The Gentle Giant

Prologue ~ One

There was once a man who went by the name, Emir. It had been a long time since he had seen his cousin, Asra. He lived in a Spanish-European city not too far from him, so he decided to come visit him for a while. He's been staying for the past few months. And this night, the evening fog was thick, blanketing the street in an ethereal, milky glow. He lingered at the window to appreciate the tranquil scene, before drawing the curtains shut. "I'll miss you," said Asra. He was the only family member Emir was extremely close with. Whenever he came by for a visit, Asra and his very pregnant partner, Sandra, would try teaching Emir new and fascinating tricks involving magic. Some tricks stuck better with Emir than others.

"Do you have to leave tonight?" Sandra asked as she gently held Asra's hands.

"It's the dead of a moonless night. The right time for beginning a journey," Asra said as his eyes twinkled in the low lamplight.

Sandra sighed, "Why did I guess you were going to say something like that..?"

Asra chuckled, "Hey, Emir. I have something for you." He got up from the couch and placed a tarot deck in his hands. "A gift. For you to play around with."

"Your tarot deck?" That was the last thing Emir expected Asra to give him. That tarot deck was Asra's own creation. It had been imbued with strong power. "You think I want your creepy deck?"

Asra's eyes crinkled with amusement, "What? Are you scared of them? You really needn't be."

"He can laugh all he wants. When those cards are near, my hair stands on end," Emir thought to himself.

"Please. Humor me. Read my fortune. Just for fun," Asra smiled, "This isn't a test, I promise."

"So it's a test then," Emir thought with a light sigh.

Asra chuckled softly then pulled back the curtain which led to the backroom, "After you." A few rays of starlight peeked through the gauzy curtains. "It's been a while since we've done anything like this."

"Because you're always gone?" said Emir. Sandra tried her best to hold back a small laugh.

Asra's face grew dark, "Maybe... But, I'm here now. Let's see how well you're doing."

"His confidence is heartening, but I don't know where the hell it comes from," Emir thought. When they all sat down, something brushed along Emir's ankle, smooth and cool.

Asra reached down from his chair and held out his hand. A long purple serpent wound her way up his arm. She flicked her tongue at Emir. Faust was her name, she was Asra's familiar. "Now that we're all here, let's begin."

Emir shuffled the deck. Asra's gaze followed the cards as they slipped through his fingers. "The... High Priestess."

Asra leaned closer, expectant, "And what is she telling you? Is she speaking to you now?"

When the cards spoke to Emir, it wasn't in any human tongue. Nonetheless, when his mind was clear, the answer came to him; "You've forsaken her."

"I have..?" Asra paused for a moment, then asked, "Could The Priestess be talking about Sandra?"

She shrugged, "It wouldn't be inaccurate."

"No. The High Priestess. You've pushed her away and buried her voice," said Emir. Asra frowned but said nothing, waiting for Emir to continue. "She calls out, but you won't listen. Asra... if you ignore her..." A sharp knocking interrupted Emir, startling all four of them.

"A customer? At this hour?" asked Sandra.

"Did we forget to put out the lantern again?" Asra sighed, "Just as well. I can't stay any longer." He got up from the table and gathered his things to leave.