Hidden Moon (Nightcreature 7)

She traced the line that ran from just above my thumb and curved around the pad toward my wrist. "A long life," she murmured. "With the possibility of death, here. " She pointed to a place where the line faded, right next to the base of my thumb.

"What does that mean?"

"You may die or you may not. "

I refrained from pointing out the wishy-washiness of this statement.

Her dark eyes lifted to mine. "Soon. "

A chill went over me. "Soon" wasn't wishy-washy at all.

"When?"

She shrugged and returned her gaze to my hand, rubbing her nail over a tiny couplet of curved lines beneath my ring and middle fingers. "The girdle of Venus is strong. You like sex. "

I jerked back, but she didn't let go.

"Although" - she pointed to a break in the lines - "you did not until recently. Trauma," she murmured. "But that is over now. "

My eyes narrowed. How did she know? Could Malachi have. . . ?

No. He wouldn't.

Would he?

I'd read about fortune-tellers having accomplices who went into whatever town they were near to learn all that they could about the people. Then the supposed clairvoyants used the information to appear psychic when they were merely masters at planning ahead.

I was torn between wanting to run and wanting to hear more so I could figure out where she'd gotten her information. Curiosity won out.

"What else?"

Edana bent closer, squinting, then shrugged and let go. "There is nothing. "

"I many die soon and I like sex. That's it?"

"We are not done. " She picked up the cards, mixed the deck a few times, then handed them to me. "You shuffle. "

"How much?"

"Until you feel you are done. "

While I did that, she spread a piece of navy blue velvet in front of her, smoothing the fabric until it was straight and flat and reminded me of the endless night sky above the mountains.

"I'm done. " I attempted to hand her the cards, but she shook her head.

"Cut them into three piles; use your left hand only. " I did. "Now stack them into one pile. " I did that, too.

Finally she picked up the cards and laid them, faceup, in a pattern - three in a row for three rows, making nine cards altogether.

"This is the past," she said, pointing to the top three. "The wheel of fortune. " She went silent, pursing her lips.

"Do I need to buy a vowel?"

Edana didn't laugh. Maybe she'd never seen the show. Maybe she didn't like Vanna. Maybe I wasn't as funny as I thought I was.

"The wheel brings change. You were at a crossroad. "

I had been, but so were a lot of people.