The first pickup was tomorrow.
Tonight Loma was restless — twisting against the ropes, asking if we were sure the knot was theatrical enough.
I was fiddling with a tarot deck. Alright, fine — I stole it from a fortuneteller in Toemacha. Yes, I'm a little ashamed of it. Mostly the part where she caught me and I had to leg it barefoot through three alleys.
Anyway. Loma's eyes went wide, the way they do when she spots something shiny or dangerous.
"Saya… you can read those?"
The Dragon let out a long, martyred sigh from his corner of the camp.
I grinned, all teeth.
"Can you…" She leaned forward as far as the ropes allowed, voice small and hopeful. "Can you tell me what the future has in store for me?"
I told her to sit up straight. That's how you establish authority. You don't ask people to sit when you're about to read their future. You tell them.
I spread the cards on the crate like I'd done this a thousand times instead of exactly zero. They were stiff, painted little rectangles with too much gold leaf and not enough shame. Pictures everywhere. Naked ladies. Towers. Swords. A goat that looked judgmental.
Tarot. Easy. Pictures. I'm great with pictures.
"I'm very experienced," I said, shuffling them in a way that probably offended several gods. "Trained. Certified. Once read a duke so hard he wept and paid me twice."
The Dragon made a sound like choking on a laugh behind me. I ignored him. This was sacred work.
I dealt three cards face down, then flipped the first one with dramatic slowness.
It was… a man hanging upside down by one foot.
"…Ah," I said immediately. "Good. Excellent start."
Loma leaned in, eyes wide. "What does it mean?"
I stared at the picture, buying time. Upside-down man. Calm face. No blood. Honestly looked like a drunk who lost a bet.
"Well," I said, nodding wisely, "this is… the Man Who Chose Wrong."
The Dragon snorted.
"This represents," I continued, warming up, "a period in your life where you trusted someone tall. Possibly handsome. Definitely stupid."
Loma flushed. I didn't miss it. I never miss it.
"The rope," I added quickly, tapping the card, "symbolizes obligation. Or marriage. Or… uh… bureaucracy."
"Is that bad?" she asked.
"For him," I said firmly. "For you? Cathartic."
I flipped the second card.
A tower. On fire. Lightning. People falling out of it.
"Oh." I sucked air through my teeth. "That's… wow."
The Dragon leaned over my shoulder. "You know what that one means?"
"Obviously," I snapped, then louder, to Loma: "This is the Tower of I Told You So."
I traced the falling figures with my finger. "This card means something you thought was solid—family, titles, a nice roof—goes crash. Very loud. Very public. Possibly on fire."
Loma swallowed. "That… already happened."
"Tarot is very punctual," I said smoothly. "That's how you know it's real."
I flipped the last card.
A naked woman pouring water from two jugs, stars overhead, everything very serene and suspiciously hopeful.
I frowned at it. Too nice. I didn't trust it.
"…The Nude Lady," I announced.
"The Star," the Dragon corrected lazily.
"Sure," I said. "Her friends call her Nude Lady."
I leaned back, steepled my fingers like I'd seen someone important do once. "This card represents renewal. Healing. Starting over. Also being naked in inappropriate places and somehow surviving."
Loma blinked. "Really?"
"Look at her," I said, tapping the card. "No shoes. No armor. Still standing. Pouring her own water. That's independence."
The Dragon hummed. "That's… not entirely wrong."
I shot him a look. Don't ruin this for me.
I gathered the cards up decisively. "So. Your future. Summary."
I pointed at the first card. "You trusted the wrong man."
Second. "Everything exploded."
Third. "You're still here. Probably wetter. Possibly wiser."
Loma stared at the cards, then at me. "That's… actually comforting."
I smiled, all teeth and confidence and absolutely no idea what I was doing. "Of course it is. Tarot doesn't lie. People do."
The Dragon finally laughed, low and fond. "How much do you charge for this miracle of insight?"
I snapped the deck shut and held out my hand. "For friends? Free. For strangers? Three silver. For nobles? Whatever's in their pockets and one confession."
I stood, scooped the cards back into their pouch, and winked at Loma. "If you want a love reading, though, that's extra. The cards get shy."
They don't. I just panic when swords show up.
But nobody needed to know that.