Winter Fire [ Book 1 ] ✔

Chapter Six

"Just three?" Claire confirmed, looking at the cards fanned out before her.

"Just three," Draz confirmed with a nod. He moved the cards closer and Claire saw a faint shimmer of light ripple across the cards from left to right. She glanced up to see if Draz had noticed but he wasn't looking at the cards, he was looking at her. His expression was one of eager anticipation, like a child waiting for a promised treat.

"Alright," she said at last.

Taking a deep breath she reached for the cards.

As her hand drew closer, she felt an unexpected shock penetrate her fingertips. It didn't hurt, but it was surprising and she jerked her hand back instinctively. The tingling sensation lingered for a moment before fading.

When she looked at Draz he was grinning.
"Static," he declared with a shrug.

Right, of course, static.

Despite the logic behind the explanation, Claire couldn't quite convince herself this was the case. Shoving the thoughts aside, Claire reached for the cards again. This time there was no spark, no tingling and she felt an odd mixture of relief and disappointment.

Maybe it had been static.

Claire's fingers caught the edge of one card before releasing it and moving to the next. What should have been an easy task took several minutes. Despite her indecisiveness, Draz never grew impatient, he simply watched and waited for her to finish her selection.

"Now what?" she asked once she had drawn three. Draz swept the remaining cards into a stack and returned them deftly to his pocket.

"Now we shall see what the fates have in store for you," he declared almost giddily. He took the cards from her hand and tossed them into the air. Claire's eyes grew wide. Instead of falling, each card hung horizontally in the air, encased in a soft white glow.

"The first card represents your past," Draz explained. The card in question spun about a few times and when it finally stopped it was facing right side up. Claire leaned over to examine the picture. It was a silhouette of a man in a sweeping cape and in his hand he held a silvery ball of light. As Claire watched, the light seemed to flicker and the cape billowed as though caught in a light breeze.

"Ah, the magician," Draz declared, looking almost proud. "You've got some powerful allies in your life." The second card began to spin as the first had. "The second card is representative of your present."

The card stopped face side up and Claire leaned in to examine the picture. Before she was able to get a good look at it, however, the door to the train compartment slammed open with a loud bang. Both of them looked towards it in surprise.

Claire half expected to see the conductor standing there, having caught on to their ruse. To her surprise, it was the man she had followed onto the train.

"I thought I told you to go home?" he asked, his voice hard, his eyes burning like molten steel. "And you, what are you doing here, with her?"

Claire glanced toward Draz. He had plucked the cards from the air and now stood with his hands buried in his pockets. There was an amused smirk plastered across his face and a defiance in his eyes that was unmistakable. "Nice to see you too, Alek. Been a long time. I see the high life has treated you well."

Alek.

Now the stranger had a name.

Claire couldn't explain why, but it suited him.

"Don't dodge the question, Draz," Alek snapped.

"He helped me," Claire interrupted.

It was obvious, even to her, that somehow these two knew one another. It was also obvious, if their brief interaction was any indication, that they weren't friends.