Whispering Suits

I wait for the car down the road from the cafe. Nat said she didn’t mind if I ordered it to hers but I said the walk would help. I need time to think. She also wasn’t best pleased when I got round to telling her she had to cover for me staying overnight at Cyrus’s, but I promised her that it’s just a practical solution for dealing with the exhaustion I might experience from using magic. I can tell she still doesn’t like that I’m learning to use the Tarot, but something about me pulling out that card has changed both our minds. The cards are warning me that drastic change is coming, whether we like it or not, so the better prepared I can be for the coming storm the better. I text Cyrus that I’m on my way, but there is no reply from him. I start to feel bad, I did end up taking longer at Nat’s than I had planned. The car arrives silently, and I feel a strange sense of relief to see it. At least I can get out of this rain. When we arrive at Cyrus’s apartment, he’s stood out in the rain. I can tell from the state of his clothes that he’s been outside for ages, maybe the whole time I’ve been with Nat. He’s drenched to the bone and shivering, but the relief in his eyes seems so real as I get out the car. He pulls me into a tight hug, and I don’t know how to react. “Indigo…you’re here” he says, his voice rough and filled with pain. I can feel him trembling, and I feel the guilt wash over me. I wrap my arms around him, and I can only just feel his warm core, his skin is cold. “Cyrus, we need to get inside. You’re freezing.” He doesn’t move, doesn’t let go. I feel into his trouser pocket and find his key and use the fob to open the front door. I have to push him through the door and into the foyer, and then have to manoeuvre him so that his arm is over my shoulder and I’m supporting his weight. His eyes are dark, they’re missing their usual shine like the light in them has gone out. I drag him into the lift and then press the button for the top floor. While the lift moves, I call Nat. She picks up on the first ring. “Indy, is everything ok? Do you need me to come get you?” She says, her voice rushed. “No, I’m fine, but something is wrong with Cyrus. He was stood outside, and he’s gotten really wet and cold and I don’t know what to do.” I can hear movement on the other end of the phone. “Shit. Of course, why wouldn’t a Summer Faerie stand outside in a winter storm. Does he have any sense” Nat says her voice steady, and I have to juggle the phone as the lift arrives at the top floor. I start pulling Cyrus towards his door, but it’s difficult. He’s really heavy and he isn’t helping me at all. “Nat, what do I do?” I half scream into the phone. “If Summer Faeries get too cold, they can die. You need to get him warm, get him out of the wet clothes and near a fire. The best thing to do would be to use a spell to heat him up quickly but…” I feel the hesitation in her voice and I know what she’s thinking, but I haven’t used a tarot spell before. “Shit” I say “I’ll have to figure it out…” I hang up before I hear Nat’s reply, she doesn’t have Cyrus’s address and I don’t have time to wait. I manage to heave him onto my shoulder and into the living room. He collapses onto the sofa, and in the light I can see how pale he really looks, almost like his usual tan has washed off in the cold rain. I touch his forehead, in the brief time I’ve known Cyrus he’s always been so warm, hes’ always had an aura of heat that I could feel from across the room. But now, it’s barely a whisper inside of him. “Why did you wait out in the rain!” I cry at him, what was he thinking standing out there for godknows how long. I run to his run and dig out some clean dry clothes, I manage to find a grey jumper and matching sweatpants and as they’re the first clothes I see that aren’t a suit I decide they’ll have to do. I sit Cyrus up and take off his white shirt, the fabric is so wet it’s gone see through and it clings to his skin. The long sleeves get caught on his wrists, and I end up ripping the fabric to get it off him. If he survives this, I’m sure he can bill me for the cost of a new shirt. It’s more awkward to get his trousers off of him but I manage to get him out of his wet clothes and into the dry ones I’d found. I look at the fireplace, and see if there is any normal way to turn it on. There are no switches, no controls. Of course, the idiot relies on his magic for this. I can’t think about the risks, this is my fault and I cannot let him die. Not today. I rip the tarot deck from my pocket and the lid slides off like it already knows what I want to do. The top card is the Ace of Wands, and I rip it out of the box and throw the rest of the cards down. I can worry about them later. I kneel in front of the fireplace, Cyrus is half passed out on the sofa next to me. I'll have to figure this out alone. I rack my mind and try to remember what Cyrus did when he used a Tarot card to make our contract. I place the card in front of the wood, making sure to keep my fingers on the edge of the card. The ink on the card has a faint red glow, it reminds me of Cyrus's eyes and I have to take a deep breath as the thought that I might not see those eyes again crosses my mind. Focus, Indigo. I close my eyes, and listen to the vibrations I can feel coming off the card. Please help me figure this out, without a fire I can't get him warm and he's going to die. I take a long deep breath and focus my thoughts on the card. I feel the words come to me, like the memory of a dream after sleep, and I will them to work. “Ace of Cards, manifest. By my life's will, by my heart's desire, I summon forth the element of Fire!” I open my eyes, and the ink is glowing bright. I can just make out the flow of energy leaving me and seeping into the card. Then, the flames on the image seem to leap off the page, and though I can feel the heat on my skin it doesn't burn. I move the waves of flame through the air, and onto the waiting logs. As the fire leaves my fingers, I breathe out a sigh of relief at the sight of the fireplace roaring to life. I pick up the tarot card, and though the design is still there the ink is now dull, and I can tell that only a tiny fragment of magic is left in the card. I won't be able to use it again. I'm not surprised to find that the rest of the deck has organised itself back into the box, or that the box is sitting open on the coffee table awaiting the last card. I replace the Ace of Wands and snap the box closed, returning it to my pocket. I pull Cyrus closer to the fireplace, getting him as close to it as I can without just throwing him in it, which I do briefly consider. I run to the bedroom and bring back a thick blanket, which I wrap around him. The air around us is starting to feel warmer, but Cyrus still feels so cold. I remember reading somewhere that the best way to warm up someone with hypothermia is to share your body heat. I sit next to Cyrus on the sofa, pulling his arm around me and wrapping the blanket around both of us. I rest my hand over his heart, and I picture a warm fire burning inside of him. “Please be ok” I murmur, my eyelids drooping. I can't tell if it's the warmth from the fire, or if it was using the Tarot card, but I feel exhausted. It's hard to keep my eyes open. I can feel the flutter of Cyrus's heart beat beneath my hand, and I can hear his breath as it depends and grows steady. I let my eyes close, resting my head against his chest and focusing on the sound of his heart beat.