The Empress (The Tarot Club 1)

I had seen Arlo step up and become Dimitri’s sole guardian after his parents were murdered. Even I could acknowledge how such an event could impact such a person - it didn’t, however, make me view Dimitri as any less of an asshole than what he was.

We sat in a different kind of silence now - one of understanding, acceptance even. Arlo was sick - terminally ill was the phrase the doctor had used in one of the visions that came tumbling through, and Dimitri didn’t know. I did not know him well enough, but I had a feeling that this would crush him - tip him over the edge where he burnt the whole damn world down in a rage.

“This is why I’m here, isn’t it?” I pressed.

He pressed his lips together, bringing his clasped hands towards his chin before finally exhaling, “Yes,” he held my gaze and continued, “I needed Dimitri to be open to using methods from our old ways and I needed him to be willing to… engage with someone outside of our little world here. So, when I heard about your organisation, and the fact that you were all young women, I knew that I needed to make the call.”

It took me longer than it should have for his statement to truly sink in and for me to decipher the meaning in what he just said.

“So, if I wasn’t a young woman, I wouldn’t have been assigned this contract?” I asked evenly.

“I’m sure you can understand that Dimitri has held himself back from all true connections within this life,” Arlo shrugged simply, and anger boiled beneath my fingertips.

This, this was the Arlo that I had feared. The Arlo that was calculating and conniving - the manipulator.

“I am not a call girl that can be bought for such circumstances,” I hissed.

“Perhaps not,” Arlo responded smoothly, “but if the two of you find a connection with one another, well, such a pairing would be a good omen for our organisation, and if you don’t, well then there was no harm done.”

I had heard the tales of long ago beliefs where people sought out Witches for marriage so that their houses and familial lines would be blessed. I always thought it was archaic, something that no one believed in today’s world. Apparently, I was wrong.

“You have mistepped, Arlo, because I am here as a Witch, nothing more.”

I remained silent as I stood up and departed, leaving the dying man to his tea before I said something that I couldn’t come back from.