Whispering Suits

After dinner, I look up the address Cyrus gave me. According to Google Maps, it's some old building on the other side of town. I suppose I have a couple of days to decide if I'm going to actually go. If I'm going to do this, then I need to be more prepared than I was today. I let myself get distracted, and if I'd not been more careful, I might not have made it home. Mum always told me Faeries can't be trusted. She even said not to trust Nat, not fully. Faeries are selfish creatures by design, to deceive is in their nature. And yet, Faeries love nothing more than a good deal, a contract. All I have to do is make sure the terms of the contract favour me. Cyrus knows that I know he's a Faerie, but he might not yet know that I have The Sight. If he doesn't know, then that means I have the upper hand. I can use my gift to see through his tricks, and be on guard for his Faerie flattery. Even if he does know, it must mean something that he hasn't yet brought it up. Either way, I need to go into our next meeting with a plan. I need to ask him about how The Tarot works, without letting him know about mum's deck. I'm almost certain that he would try to relieve me of those cards if given the chance. And most importantly, I need to figure out what he wants. Cyrus seems to have decided to help me, but he will want something in return. I want answers, but not at the cost of losing myself. One question burns brightly in my mind, why did he help Nat and I the other night? I'm almost certain that he wasn't using any magic to influence me, but he claimed to know who I was and why we were there. What did that even mean? And why go out of his way to help a mortal and a Faerie who has been banished from her own court? I'm certain there is no way he could have known I'd come back looking for help. Heck, I don't think I knew I was going to go back till this morning when I woke up from that bizarre dream. I briefly think of asking the cards for guidance, but my gut says not to rely on them too much. I want to see what Cyrus can tell me about The Tarot before I decide to actually use the damn thing. I briefly wonder why we have to wait four days before meeting up, but I suppose that party of theirs could last that long. Or, maybe he just wants to keep me waiting for the fun of it. I wonder what mum would say about all of this. She did tell me to use the Tarot, she must have expected that I'd need someone to tell me how it works. Maybe she thought that someone would be Nat…I wish I could ask her. I miss her so much, and I feel so lost. I kinda envy Dan, he seems to be adapting so quickly, but I feel like a dumb kid sitting here crying for their mummy. Mum just always seemed to know what to do, she always had a plan. Well, nearly always. I shake the thoughts away, there is no time to mourn. I need to focus. I have the next three days to make a plan before I have to see Cyrus again. This time, I won't be walking in blind. Tomorrow I can go to the library, there's a small chance they might have some books on Faeries or Tarot that might give me at least a starting point. Then I should probably see if there is anything in Mum's room that might help. If nothing else, I can read through the old faerie tales she used to read me. Who knows, now I know they're real they might give me some actual advice. Most importantly, before we next meet I need to think of a way to keep my head clear. At the bar, I lost myself so quickly once Cyrus touched me. I'm certain it must be some kind of Faerie charm, so I need a way to be near him without it taking effect. If I recall correctly, Mum said she made friends with a witch who regularly goes to Nat's cafe and does fortune readings and stuff. I'll have to swing by and see if I can track her down, if she can give me a protection spell to ward off the power of Cyrus's Faerie charm then I might be able to keep a level head around him. It suddenly feels like I have a lot to do in only a few days, but it's late to really start on any of it now. I crawl into bed, and make a mental note of where to start in the morning. I can't know for sure if this is the path mum wanted to set me on, but I hope I can make her proud. All this risk will be worthwhile if I can just find a way to keep Dan safe. I couldn't forgive myself if anything ever happened to him. And, if these cards can protect him, then I have to find a way to make them work for me. It's not much of a plan, but for the first time in weeks I feel like I'm in control again.