Chiyo picks up the folder and examines its contents. “Do we know whatreallyhappened to her?”
“She died from cancer,” the man responds. “At least that’s what the autopsy will say. But we know it was more than that.”
Chiyo looks over at Eddie and hands him the folder.
“What about his mother?” Eddie asks as he looks over the files inside. “I remember when she was young but never heard if she kept up with her lessons.”
“His grandmother died before she could pass anything of great value onto his mother,” The mystery man responds. “But that was because his grandmother pulled his mother out of her studies at an early age. His mother then passed away before she turned 40. He was barely 13,” the man stated with a hint of sorrow. “He’s practically been off our radar since his birth. How that was possible, your guess is as good as mine.”
Eddie hands Madame Jeanette the folder, and then Madame Jeanette gives the folder back to the mystery man. “I remember his mother and grandmother,” Madame Jeanette says. “His grandmother was an amazing witch. I wish Victor were able to learn from her. Do you think you will be able to guide him?”
The mystery man returns the folder to his satchel, “I believe so. He definitely has a gift that needs to be tapped. I could feel the strong energy coming from him during my encounters.”
Madame Jeanette takes a long and heavy puff from her pipe. She exhales the thick smoke around the table. The smoke starts to curve into a dome. The others cannot see anything in the smoke while Madame Jeanette sits back, examines, and informs them what she sees.
“Victor seems to have great potential; that is correct,” Madame Jeanette begins. “But we must proceed with caution when we engage with him. He is already tightly wound up from our encounters.” She looks over at the man sitting between Eddie and Chiyo. “He is not afraid but will question every step of theway. He might struggle and lose focus, so we must be patient.” She brings her attention back to the cloud. “He can accomplish so much, possibly more than his grandmother. But is Victor the one we need?”
Madame Jeanette looks to the woman sitting next to Chiyo. “What say you, Akisha?”
Akisha is a dark-skinned woman of African descent with short silver hair. She grew up in London after her family immigrated there when she was three. Her eyes are intense, seeing many great things, but more tragic. She is the eldest at the table and is respected among the covens. Many covens come to her for approval or guidance even though she does not hold the official title of “Superior” or “Elder” within her own coven.
“I vaguely remember his grandmother. What I do recall about her is she was mighty. She never wanted to be feared because of this. She was kind and generous in her teachings. It was a tragedy when she was taken away. If Victor holds anything in his blood like his grandmother, we must ensure he is on the right path and will not be persuaded onto another.”
“Are you sure the council will approve his training? Being that he is not part of a coven?” Eddie asks.
The man sitting next to Eddie looks deeply into the smoke on the table, even though he can not see anything beyond it. “Let me handle that part,” he says in his Texas drawl. “In the meantime, let’s keep all this to ourselves for the time being. Victor has been off our radar for a reason. If it was something his grandmother did to keep it that way, we must proceed carefully.”
Madame Jeanette turns her attention to the mystery man. “Well, looks like he will be yours soon enough. Keep an eye on Victor and take care of him. If we play our cards right, he will be the warlock we hope he can be.” She looks back into the smoke fading away on the table. “But if we lose sight, he could be our worst nightmare.”
Chapter Six
Victor returns home after a couple days of flying. He opens the door to his apartment which feels empty, even though it’s fully furnished. He’s still not used to living alone again, having been with James for almost three years. Honestly, he doesn’t miss James as much as the dogs. He would like to get a pet, but as he’s away from home so much now, it wouldn’t be fair to the animal.
Victor closes the door and walks deeper into his apartment. He doesn’t turn on any lights on the way to the bedroom. As he walks into it, there is a hint of tobacco; it smells like the same tobacco Madame Jeanette smokes. He slowly looks around. He calls out to his Amazon Echo to turn on all the lights. He looks over his shoulder into the living room but is all alone. He shakes his head and plops his suitcase onto his bed.
Victor unzips his suitcase, collects his dirty clothes, and walks over to the hamper, but doesn’t notice that under those dirty clothes is the pack of tarot cards that Madame Jeanette handedhim. As he gets undressed, he turns on his Bluetooth to listen to his playlist and then turns on the shower. While in the shower, he tries to clear his thoughts from the past couple of weeks. This is the first time he is alone with his thoughts.
He’s been so busy with friends and work he hasn’t had much time to decompress. It is in that moment that it finally hits him. His knees buckle a little, and he lowers himself into the tub. He cups his hands on his face and lets it all out. He cries for what seems like 20 minutes as the pent-up emotions can finally be released.
The break-up with James. The heartbreak when James started seeing someone else. Victor keeps telling himself that James was insecure and couldn’t handle him being away from home for days at a time. But he also feels he could have done more to keep the relationship afloat. The move back home was rough since he didn’t want to live with his parents, even though his folks told him he should for the time being.
After what seemed like an eternity, he gets on his knees and washes the tears off his face. For once, he feels a sense of clarity. He needed this good cry alone, with no one telling him how to act or feel. He slowly picks himself up so as not to get dizzy from standing up too fast. His legs are still a little weak, but he is starting to regain his strength. Victor finishes his shower, puts on some comfy pajama bottoms and a shirt, and stands in the doorway to his bedroom.
After a few moments to collect himself, he pulls the hamper behind him, Victor takes the first load of laundry to the washer. When he walks back into the bedroom, he reaches for his suitcase. He is about to set the suitcase on the floor, then freezes, noticing the tarot cards tucked under his clothes. His hand shakes as he reaches to pick them up.
I thought it was a dream. How did these get here?
As he picks up the box, he notices it is the same one Madame Jeanette handed him. But now, it is tied with a small ribbon, which he unties and opens the box. As the deck slides into his hands, a small piece of paper drops with them. “A gift for you,chéri”is written in gold lettering.
He feels a piece of cardstock on the bottom of the deck. He turns the deck over to reveal the maroon business card. Looking at the card, he realizes it wasn’t a dream.
Victor sits on the side of his bed, taking the card in his other hand. He looks back and forth between the business card and the deck of tarot cards in his other hand.
Victor takes a deep breath and sets the deck down. He reaches for his phone and dials the number. He hovers his thumb over the call button and hesitates to tap it. His breathing is calm, but his heart is racing and his hands are shaking. After staring at his phone for several moments, he takes a dry gulp before finally calling the number.
Victor brings his phone up to his ear as it rings. It rings several times before someone answers, but they don’t speak.
“Hello?” he asks the person on the other end.
