Page 39 of A Brother's Secret

“Yeah, I’m reserving judgment until I know what it means,” he said and I smiled.

“The Empress in her upright position stands for a lot of things. In this case, I get the impression that she represents a person. She can stand for beauty and abundance and typically relates to fertility but I don’t get that she’s doing so in a physical sense this time. She’s a rockin’ omen for a good and stable relationship, so that tells me that you definitely aren’t taking this lightly and have every intention of taking some action here and heeding the warnings.”

I tapped a fingernail at the base of the present’s cards and Reaver nodded emphatically. I smiled and said, “Pick another card. I’ll see if I can get anything else for you, this one feels like it’s just laying the groundwork; like there’s something more totell.”

He drew the final card from the fan in front of him and handed it over. I turned it and nodded, “See, Strength in the upright position. This screams that whatever is going on right now with your relationship to her, it’s going to be fine. Strength like this reinforces the final meaning of The Empress which is harmony in the home. Strength upright like this points to compassion, endurance, patience… all the things a long-term relationship thrives off of. Bottom line, this card is telling you that you have the power to make the changes necessary to ensure survival but it’s encouraging you to do it with love rather than force.”

“When it comes to a woman, is there any other way to do it?” Trigger asked.

“Nope,” Reaver stated and leaned back in his seat. He was seriously mulling it over, his icy blue eyes roving from one card to the next to the next, head bobbing slightly as he considered each one inturn.

“Thanks,” he said finally, shaking himself as if waking from a dream.

“Hope it helps,” I murmured and gathered the cards up letting the edges slide between my fingers into a neat stack once more. I silently thanked them for their service and glanced to Trigger and asked mostly out of politeness, “Want to have ago?”

He shook his head and I nodded. He seemed to be at solid peace with himself and his life. Like he had it together. I honestly didn’t think that the cards had much to tell him. I put them away and sighed.

“Now what?” I asked.

“Now, we wait,” Trigger said and I sighed.

“These kinds of things,” Reaver said, dragging the edge of my pocket knife through oil against the stone. “You spend ninety-eight percent of your time being bored.” He closed one eye and looked down the edge of the blade with the other, testing it with his thumb.

“And the other two percent?” I asked.

Trigger answered, “Wishing you were back to being bored.”

I smiled and shook my head, pulling my newest sketch book across the table towards me and retrieving my roll of pencils from falling off the edge of the table and onto the floor.

“Good thing I was an only child,” I said. “I have no shortage of ways to keep myself entertained.”

“I know that’s right,” Reaver said and Trigger looked at him over the edge of the book in his hands again.

“You grew up with Shelly, motherfucker.”

“So. I was still technically an only child. She’s my cousin.”

I shook my head and opened up to a blank page and listened to their affable bickering. The atmosphere a little lighter since the reading. I didn’t know what to make of that, but I would takeit.

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