Page 9 of Road To Runes

"Don't you want to get a new deck?" I asked, noticing the torn edges and folded ears of some cards.

"I wish. I could barely afford this one."

I helped her clear some space on the table as she drew three cards, which was typical of a quick reading for her. If I wantedthe real deal, Penny needed squashy cushions, silence, and incense... and perhaps a cookie.

"Now, let's see. How is Bea doing at the present moment?" Penny flipped over the first card and sucked her teeth. "The High Priestess in reverse," she said. "A lack of centre and repressed feelings."

I drank some tea to cover my face with the teacup. Those things were annoyingly accurate.

"After last night, I can't say I feel great about my centre right now," I said. "What else?"

Penny cleared her throat and stroked Hecate a little before placing a finger on the next card. "How should Bea go about the next steps?" She turned over the card, and I nearly choked on my croissant.The Lovers.

"Ugh," I said, and turned the card back over. "Next, please."

"Oh, don't be silly, it doesn't mean...him," Penny said. "Can I say his name yet?"

"No."

"Fine. It doesn't have to meanthatkind of partnership, just an alliance maybe. You might need someone's help to get the answers you need."

"Not Asher's."

"Oh, soyoucan say his name?" Penny said, rolling her eyes.

"So I can spit it onto the floor, yeah. Anyway, what's next?" I asked.

Rearranging Hecate in her arms, Penny placed a finger on the final card. "Will Bea achieve what she is hoping to achieve?"

Penny made to turn the card over but out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something moving toward us at a speed too quick to be good news. I turned my head to watch as a whirl of magic shot toward our table.

Chapter 5

"Get down!" I cried and reached across the table to push Penny onto the booth seat before diving down onto mine.

An icy breeze whooshed above us and an odd cracking noise filled the air. Penny looked to me under the table with panic in her eyes, and Hecate clung to her like a piece of wood on a stormy sea. When the atmosphere finally stilled, I peered out at our table. The pastries had disintegrated into little mouldy specs on their plates and the mugs were filled with green and blue mould blossoms. Penny's tarot cards had curled up into what looked like paper shavings and the illustrations had faded into nothing but a collection of grey lines.

"Gods, Troy that was too close. You nearly killed those girls." The jaunty, chuckling voice that spoke didn't sound as if it belonged to someone who understood exactly what they had just said.

I scrambled upright and looked around for the source of the power and the annoying voice. A few tables away sat a giggling young woman with her red hair in pigtails, a pair of jock-types wearing sports hoodies, and the idiot who I assumed was responsible for this mess, standing behind the table with his hand pointed in our direction.

Kitted out in a designer tracksuit, he had a mop of black hair tied back into a man-bun, and wore a mildly terrified expression. But he quickly rearranged it into a sheepish mask as one of his friends clapped him on the back. Had that moron just tried toshow off?

"What the hell did you do?" I snapped.

"Bea, don't." Penny sat up and dragged a still bewildered Hecate with her. "That's Troy Franklin."

"Am I supposed to know who that is?" Or give a crap?

"What're you gonna do emo?" Troy asked, spreading his arms wide.

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything," I said, standing up. "You're going to undo this and apologise for being a dick."

Heads in the half-empty cafeteria turned toward the commotion as Troy and his merry band of amoebas burst into fits of cackles. One of them pulled a face at me as they turned to leave, and I took my first stride in their direction. I would give them something to laugh about when I smashed power-boy's stupid face in.

"Bea!" Penny seized my arm and dragged me back into the booth. "You can't mess with him."

"Why not?" I asked, grabbing the edge of the table with both hands and squeezing.

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