How Deep The Roots Go ( Book One)

Chapter 2

Temperance looked mortified, nearly choked on the words she heard. "And why me?"

Hazel shook her head solemnly. "Evil is present in all realms, except the holy one. Good versus evil, kindness, and cruelty," she patted her leg then touched her hand to her mouth. "Yes... good and evil are the wicked things that humans like to pretend do not exist."

Violet snickered. "That is called the human race and reality. There will always be good and evil."

Hazel lifted her brow. "Yes, in this world that we are present in, there is much to battle, no?"
She sat back, her arms now crossed, and continued. "Evil prevails in this time. The good is overshadowed by the bad."

Temperance had indeed noticed. But then again, she always had.

Lately however, the feeling was growing much more prevalent than it ever had been. And with it, was the diminishing of her sight. And that is precisely why she decided to come here. Temperance picked up the card of Temperance, feeling the thin paper in her hand. She studied it closely, looking over the wings of the angel that were such a contrast of what she had thought an angel to depict.

"You didn't answer the question, Hazel," Temperance added.

Hazel sighed, seemingly gathering her thoughts.

"People are destined for things in this world. A preordained written chapter before you're given life. In time, the stroke of the clock will reveal the answers for you."

Not necessarily satisfied, but wanting as much information as she could get, Temperance further inquired. "Why are her wings red?" Temperance asked softly, her eyes not parting from the card.

Hazel watched her under guarded lids. Thinking for a moment, she answered carefully. "Angels are not always as they appear to be, Temperance. Sometimes they can resemble you or I," she shrugged, pursing her lips. "At other times they are what we want to imagine. White wings, blue eyes, and glorious white gowns."

She chuckled low in her throat, tapping the wood on the table with her palm. "But mostly, they have the most unconventional traits."

Hazel gestured toward the card then. "Her wings represent the blood of those that have perished." She paused and then whispered deeply, "The souls of the parted."

Temperance's eyes shot up. "And what meaning am I to take from that?" She shook her head, irritated. "I have a regard for you Hazel, but you're losing me fast."

Hazel took a small breath and dug deep for fortitude with this one. She supposed it was her downfall, and that is why she was placed here to begin with. Bloody patience was not her forte. "The card of Temperance stands between the Devil and death. She is responsible for balance and harmony. She leads the souls to their place. She joins forces with those of truth and light."

"The truth?" Temperance supplied, her face knotted in disgust. "There isn't much of that left in this world."

"Precisely." Hazel looked completely satisfied then.

"The truth is what we all seek. The light is what we all hope to meet someday." Hazel's eyes looked again to Temperance, but now there was a power there that she hadn't seen before.

"What this card means for you is that you will face a war between good and evil. A war between harmony and chaos. It is destined to be." Her eyes were darker now − like the coals of a fire, only void of any embers.

Temperance sat without words to convey. She simply absorbed in what she thought was absolute crazy − or a truth, that scared the hell out of her. She was open − minded, but this was a bit much.