Page 25 of Nix and Tell

The bell rings, and I raise my eyes as I see Kit walk through the door.

“Hey!”

“Hey.” She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, and I shuffle awkwardly on my stool. Kit’s usually perfectly cordial with me, but she avoids Chlo as much as possible and it makes me uncomfortable. “I… I heard you’re doing tarot readings.”

“That’s right.” I can’t work out what she’s thinking; I mean, I can’t usually read people—thanks autism—but I definitely can’t read her intentions.

“Can you do one for me?” She laughs at the surprise on my face. “I know I don’t go much in for—” She waves her hand to take in the very woo-woo esoteric wares that I sell. “—all of this, but you? You seem safe enough. And it’s been a while since anyone’s read my cards.”

It’s a big deal, or at least, that’s the impression I get, but I don’t want to make a fuss, so I just ask “You got a particular spread in mind?”

She shakes her head slowly. “Nah, I just need to know if I’m on the right track with something.”

“Okay.”

I pause before selecting The Tempest Tarot. Kit raises an eyebrow at the choice, but I shrug. There are many reasons why I might pick a particular deck to use for a reading, but in this case, it’s instinct. It’s a deck concerned with water, and Kit is a rivernix—even if she’s estranged from the community—and it’s also concerned with growth and sadness and movement.

I shuffle the deck sharply and place it in front of her. “Split the deck.”

She does, and I don’t bother talking her through the process; she knows what I’m doing.

I shuffle again, and then spread the cards out in a single swift movement. “Pick three cards.”

Kit takes her time, selecting cards carefully, and she hands them to me with a wry smile. “I haven’t told you what it’s about. Do you need me to?”

I shake my head. “We’ll go on instinct; I don’t want you to influence my reading.”

She nods, somewhat approvingly, and waits for me to turn them over.

The spread I’m using is one that I developed myself; it’s usually for following your dreams readings, but it works with general “am I on the right path?” questions.

I turn the first card over. “‘Why are you pursuing this?’ and you’ve got the Knight of Wands.” The line drawing on this card depicts a person at the top of a lighthouse, looking out to sea with a telescope. “Wands are about action, and this implies that you’re not taking any—you’re just standing and watching the rest of the world pass you by. Usually knights are super impetuous, but in this deck, this card usually suggests that you need to bemoreimpetuous.”

She doesn’t say anything; just looks thoughtful.

“Next up we have ‘What is in your way?’ and you’ve pulled the Six of Cups. It’s a card about childhood memories.” I gesture towards where the two children are depicted, play-sword fighting. The room suddenly feels very awkward indeed. “Something from your childhood is holding you back.”

Kit’s laugh is bitter, and I remember Chlo telling me that the woman was estranged from her family. I’m tempted to add a comment, but I don’t know Kit well enough, or have the history with the nixes that she has.”

“Finally we have ‘what will help you get there?’ and—” My voice breaks off and I stare silently at the card I’ve turned over. The High Priestess. A naked woman, submerged in water, moon above her, ball of magic in her hands. She bares a startling resemblance to Trisantona.

“Fuck,” says Kit. “I don’t think you need to translate that one for me.”

I grimace. “If it helps, she hasn’t influenced the cards; they’re spelled against manipulation.”

“So it’s just the universe that’s yelling at me then.”

“If it helps, the cards yell at me on the regular. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve pulled the Four of Swords.”

“The Four of Swords?”

“The burnout card.”

Kit chuckles, and some of the tension in her shoulders lessens. “The universe can get fucked. There’s a reason I abandoned my family.”

“Trisantona isn’t your family, and from what I can gather, she’s only been back five years.” She doesn’t respond straight away, and I jump to fill the silence. “Maybe it’s not something you need to worry about now.”

She pats my arm distractedly, and I know that she’s still thinking on it all. “Thanks Vi. How much do I owe you?”

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