Whispering Suits

“I have The Sight”. I say, as matter-of-factly as I can manage. Cyrus’s eyes go wide, but I can’t wait for his reaction. I have to continue. “I’ve had The Sight since I can remember. For my whole life, I have been able to see, hear and touch your world. My…my mum was the same. She taught me what she knew about the Faeries. She told me about the four courts, and that each court had a corresponding suit in The Tarot…but I never asked her how it all worked, how the Fae and The Tarot were connected. I just knew that Faeries were dangerous, and mum had always told me to avoid them, avoid you. But then…” I feel the tears start rolling down my cheek as I speak in a garbled mess. I half-heartedly rub my cheeks, and I’m surprised when Cyrus shoves a box of tissues across the table. “I’m sorry, Indigo” he says, his voice soft and low. I look at him, the surprise clear on my face. He looks away from me, focusing his gaze on the fire. “I was there that day, at the wake. When you came back to the bar…I did tell you I knew who you were.” He pauses, his expression soft but still focused on the flames. “But I never suspected…I suppose you having The Sight does explain some things. But, it makes this all a lot more complicated.” Cyrus runs a hand through his hair, following it down his head to the braid over his right shoulder. He twists the end of the braid between his fingers, and seems lost in thought for a moment. “It makes What more complicated?” I ask, my tone a little more impatient than intended. Cyrus turns his head back to face me. “The fact that the King is aware of our deal.” he says, letting the statement hang in the air for a moment. He retrieves four cards from a pouch on his belt that I’m certain hadn’t been there before, and lays them out on the table. “I don’t know how much your mother will have explained to you. But I’ll start with the basics. There are four Faerie courts and four Minor Arcana suits. There is the Autumn Court, who corresponds to the Coins suit” he slides forward a card that I can see is the Ace of Coins. “The Winter Court, who correspond to the Daggers suit” he slides forward The Ace of Daggers cards. “The Spring Court are the Chalices suit” he says, positioning the Ace of Chalices card next in the line. “And finally, The Summer Court are the Wands suit.” He says, his hand staying on The Ace of Wands longer than the others. “Each court, and each suit, are connected to a certain specific elemental power, Coins are Earth, Daggers are Air, Chalices are Water and Wands are Fire. We use these elemental powers to control the seasons. And, if the system works, there is balance between the courts and the seasons.” Cyrus looks up from the cards to me, I guess to make sure I am following along. I nod, and he sits back in his seat. “Now, I suspect you have already guessed that I am a Summer Court Faerie?” His tone is strangely cold as he says it, perhaps like many Fae he doesn’t agree with the court he is bound to. “Yes, I’ve known since that night at the bar. Your cufflinks had wands on. Plus, we picked that bar to hide in because it was a Summer Faerie hang out, so that might have been a hint too”. He chuckles at that, and finally brings himself to meet my gaze. “Of course. I suppose that would have made it pretty obvious. Well, the Summer King is very big on keeping his people in line. He can be quite…difficult. And I may have committed a tiny little faux pas by not telling him about my intention to make a deal with you in advance. Usually, it wouldn’t be a big deal. He’d maybe give me a slap on the wrist, give me an extra hard shift or two to teach me a lesson. But, a little birdy told him about you being a mortal. Now he’s saying he has to tell the other courts about it…and there isn’t a lot I can do to stop him.” Cyrus’s expression grows serious, the concern in his eyes seems all too real to be some act. He leans forward, his hand resting next to the four cards he placed on the table. “If the other courts find out about our deal, they will find out about your Tarot Deck. And that will put you in danger. I’m not going to mince words with you Indigo,once the other courts hear about those cards, coupled with you having The Sight…I can’t guarantee your safety. My King, he doesn’t care about what might happen to you. He just wants to punish me…” I can tell from his tone that he is being completely honest with me, and that he’s starting to spiral. “So, teach me to protect myself. That’s what the deal was for, right? I want to learn how to use the Tarot. Plus, you haven’t told anyone about me having The Sight yet. Only you and one other Faerie knows I have it, and I know she won’t say a word. ~So, no one else needs to know, right?” I don’t know who I’m trying to convince, myself or Cyrus. He shakes his head. “It only takes one person figuring it out, and the King will suspect…if he asks me I cannot lie. You have to understand, I am bound to his will, Indigo. And you don’t know what he can be like. People hear ‘Summer King’ and think he must have a sunny disposition. But he can be cruel. Especially when it comes to….well let’s just say I already wasn’t in his good books.” I sense it, something Cyrus isn’t saying. What is it with Faeries and not telling the whole goddamn picture? I sigh, leaning my head back on the sofa and staring at the ceiling. “So, now what? The deal is already made, I’m here, and it sounds like your King is about to set every Faerie’s sight on me. So, what is your master plan to make sure we both don’t end up dead by Tuesday?” I hear shuffling, and when I look back at the table there’s a single card on it, The Two of Daggers. Cyrus keeps his left hand on the card, his eyes fixed on the design. A woman sits with two daggers crossed above her head, from the tips of the daggers beams of light jut out making it seem like the whole card is being cut in two. Cyrus lifts his head and meets my eyes. “I offer you a choice. We can keep our deal, begin your lessons today, and I will aid you in learning the ways of The Tarot. If you choose this path, know that I will keep my vow to do anything in my power to protect you, but even that might not guarantee your safety. Or, if you wish, I will agree to sever our contract. You would need to relinquish the deck you own to me, and I would destroy it to prevent its power being used. I would also remove from you The Sight you carry. You would forget, about Faeries, about the Tarot, about everything and everything you have seen so far of our world. Only then would you no longer pose a risk to my people, and you would be safe from their persecution. The choice is yours, Indigo. I will honour whatever decision you make.”