A sideboard had three tiny holes in its top, and beside each was a symbol carved into the wood: a rose, an apple, and a feather.
Beck and Carter hunted through the drawers in the sideboard. One was locked, but in the others they found a booklet about tarot cards and their meanings, a chart explaining various chakra colors, and a map of constellations.
Adi scoured the tarot book for clues while Carter compared the star chart to the astrology paintings.
“Wait,” she said, stopping in front of the Gemini illustration. “There are hidden letters in these paintings.”
Sure enough, once Adi was looking for them, the letters were obvious. AnEmade out of the crab’s claws. ATin the minotaur’s bow and arrow.
“Adi, can you unscramble them to spell something?” said Sierra.
“No need. They’re already in order, starting here.” He pointed to theFin one of Pisces’s fish scales. “It spells FIND THE TRUTH.”
“Helpful,” Beck muttered.
Adi inspected the lantern hanging above the table. There was a space for a candle, but the candle was missing.
Crouching, he lifted the edge of the tablecloth and spied a wooden box. “Found something.” He pulled it into the dim light. The box was divided into nine equal squares, each holding a short white candle. “Candles labeled with numbers. One through nine.”
“Put one on the lantern and see what happens,” suggested Sierra.
Adi put the first candle into the lantern. Immediately, the room went black. Carter squeaked. The crystal ball glowed again—green this time, and the same fortune teller appeared. But now she looked pissed.
“You claim to seek the truth, but you are only wasting my time!” she cried. “For your error, I will add one minute to the clock.”
“What? No!” Carter shouted as an ominous bell tolled and the red clock above the door clicked forward a full minute.
“The snag penalty,” said Beck with a groan.
The lights came back on.
“Shit,” said Sierra. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do that.”
“No, it was a good idea,” said Adi. “I thought we were supposed to be trying to free the fortune teller’s spirit. What’s all this about seeking the truth?”
“We have to find the truth of who trapped her?” Carter suggested.
Suddenly, Beck gasped. “Try number nine.” But then he hesitated. “I’m just guessing, though.”
“Why nine?” asked Sierra.
He gestured at the carved door. “The Hermit is the ninth card in the Major Arcana, and the lantern looks exactly like the one in the carving.”
“Confirmed,” said Adi, holding up the tarot booklet to the Hermit page.
“I say we try it,” said Carter, “or we’re going to waste another full minute spinning our metaphorical wheels.”
Adi smirked, amused at her need to specify “metaphorical.”
Sierra nodded. “Try it.”
Picking the ninth candle from the box, Adi set it into the lantern.
Again they were plunged into darkness, and Sierra cursed loud enough that Adi could imagine the editing team cursingherlater.
But then the lantern started to glow, and a collection of tiny lights appeared on the ceiling, illuminating a series of constellations that had been invisible before.
“Yes!” said Carter. “Good work, Beck. MVP all the way.”
