The Stars Who Knew - Eng

Chapter 2

  《It's not good, it's not good at all》

  The taxomancy office on Aereus Road, half hidden by the intrusive barber sign next door, was quite empty that autumn day, except for Madaleinus Raive. The rotund middle-aged man had hurried to the shop as soon as he learned that his dear childhood friend, to whom he had momentarily entrusted the pendant with his mother's photo, had lost sight of the heirloom. Terrified that she might have lost it, he hadn't hesitated for a moment to consult his trusted taxomancer to find out the fate of his treasure.

  《What? What do you see?》

  Jian Nemoes, known by many as Nem, prepared to show the tea leaves to her customer. Caramel-colored fingers wrapped around her handle, she used the man's reaction to observe his expression.

  《Rats》 she replied concisely 《They indicate a loss》

  Concentration turned to disconsolation.

  《It's gone, isn't it?》

  A sign of compassion crossed Jian's forehead. 《I really think so》

  When the client walked away with hands in his hair, letting the door bell tinkle behind him, the taxomancer heaved a sorry sigh. It wasn't that she had ever found it difficult to break bad news to anyone, but she feared each time that their reaction would lead to far worse consequences than a slight burden on the heart.

  However, there was nothing she could do about it. She shook her head violently and walked into the hollow behind the booth that, with a little effort, could have been called the kitchen. This tiny space was made up of two burners, one the size of a cup and the other of a pancake, a very shabby oven, and a pantry the size of a shoebox.

  Not that she could not afford anything better, but she honestly hated cooking.

  She opened the cupboard door and pulled out a porcelain jar. When she opened it, specks of dark dust stained her fingertips. She pulled the teaspoon out of the cocoa and tossed some into the saucepan over the cup-stove. Then she took a bottle of milk and poured it with the powder. She lit the fire and waited.

  The cup she used, quite different from the ones she used to employ for the job, was large and light, with a lotus flower painted on it. The thick, fragrant liquid that stirred inside was definitely more tempting than the tea or coffee she fumbled with all day. She used them so much that over time they began to disgust her. They were now like tar for a road builder or wax for a craftsman. Pure and simple work material.

  She sat down at a different table from the one she used to lean on for her readings and began sipping her chocolate. From the nearby library, crammed not only with heavy volumes but also with figurines, herb jars, caskets and jewels, she took a manuscript with a canvas cover, too big to be read in one gulp, too small to be considered heavy. It was ruined at the edges, as if it had been opened too many times, but well maintained. The fabric on the front had been changed and the pages had no wrinkle or tear marks.

  As she opened it, an enveloping smell of paper hit her full. She stroked the first page without paying too much attention to it, then began leafing through the volume, avoiding dwelling on all the pages.

  She was looking for something, and she almost found it.

  The page she stopped on was full of convoluted puffs of ink, faded in parts with age. The words, however, were still clearly visible. She paced the page with her index finger to the last line and read aloud.

  《Sinvit the necromancer dragged the monster to the bottom. Unfortunately, however, the bottom claimed him too》