A Second Harrowing

Two days after the aborted execution, the party was preparing to bed down in Zellara’s home; it was dark, the night foggy and damp. “Did you hear that?” Wren suddenly asked. The hair on their arms and the back of their necks began to stand up, and the air in the room, already chill, grew frigid. The dust in the air began to swirl, and formed into a translucent figure – Zellara Esmeranda!

“My friends,” she said, her voice sounding faint and distant. “You have done what I asked of you. You have rid the world of the man who killed my son, and me, and who brought so much pain into your lives. Gaedren Lamm is dead. I thank you.

“But the spirits are in turmoil. Some great disaster is approaching from the darkness, and I fear your role is not yet at an end. Do you still have my Harrow deck?”

Wren nodded, and took the box out of her pocket. The cards floated up into the air, and seemed to shuffle and sort themselves. “I feel the suit of Shields guides your actions now,” she said, and each person drew a card from that suit, examined it without understanding, and replaced it in the deck. “Now let us perform the Reading,” Zellara intoned, and everyone gathered around the table. “First we shall see if the past has anything new to tell us.”

Three cards floated out of the deck and lay themselves face up on the table: The Demon’s Lantern, The Trumpet, and The Vision. Zellara nodded. “In this position, the Demon’s Lantern represents a guide who arrives at the perfect moment to show the way – just as I arrived at your moment of greatest pain to lead you to Gaedren Lamm. And The Trumpet is the card of those who drive righteously into danger without hesitation, in order to right wrongs and deliver justice.” She smiles at the party. “As you have done.” But then she frowned. “But The Vision, in this position … it says you have met a madman, one whose visions are touched by true prophecy, but you have ignored his words.” Everyone turned to look at Nat.

Zellara continued after a moment. “Let us see what faces you in the present.” Three more cards floated down to arrange themselves before them: The Idiot, The Mountain Man, and The Winged Serpent. Zellara’s expression darkened. “The Idiot speaks of great foolishness, of someone acting on greed that leads to great downfall. And in this position, it also signifies someone hiding their true intentions beneath a mask of simplicity.” She fingers the next card, and begins shaking her head back and forth. “The Mountain Man – there is a force coming, something outside the control of man, like an earthquake or a hurricane. This may be what has the spirits so upset. Some great disaster is imminent, and you must strive to simply survive it. And paired with The Winged Serpent – you must seize the moment, for failure to act with urgency will result in disaster, not just for you, but for everyone around you.”

She hesitated, as if unwilling to proceed. “The cards demand that we complete the Reading. We must see what the future holds.” The last three cards lay themselves out on the table: The Lost, The Owl, and The Desert. Zellara caught her breath. “The Lost represents the loss of identity, but here that identity has not so much been lost as stolen, replaced by one with a singular clarity of purpose that leads to a world of madness and death. The Owl represents the natural order, the harsh realism that causes a pack of wolves to cull the weak from the herd: it is tragic for the culled deer, but ultimately the herd grows stronger. The needle The Owl holds can bind life together, but just as easily pick that life apart.”

She paused, her hand on the final card. “The Desert,” she said in a whisper, “is a card of hopeless journeys across an environment so bleak that …” She hesitated again. “In this position, it suggests the subject cannot rely on help from others, and will most likely be lost.” The cards abruptly left the table, and flew back into the box in Wren’s hands. “I’m sorry, my friends,” Zellara said as her form began to dematerialize. I fear this reading offers slim hope for the future. You face great challenges in the times ahead … and I fear you may not survive.”