Tricks
George had no idea what Kei's ability was, but he thought he knew someone who might. Eleni agreed and sent him to see Old Asa. George had known Old Asa all his life, she was crotchety in her old age and more than a little odd. He and the rest of the people who knew her called her Crazy, Crazy Asa Lady, but only when they knew she couldn't hear them. If there was a woman that you didn't want to cross it was Old Asa. But, if you had a question about anything magical she was the person to call on. He found her home with ease and knocked politely at her door.
The woman who answered was shriveled with age. Her hair was a short peppery mop of straggly curls. Her eyes were gray and slanted, they narrowed further with annoyance and suspicion at the visitor. Asa the Doi tribes-woman looked him over with contempt.
"Just because I like your mother doesn't mean I tolerate visits from you, dodgy plonker."
George grinned at the woman, "Mistress Asa. How goes it?"
"It was going well until I found you sulking at my front door. What do you want?"
"My Ma's got a visitor that she thinks you might like ta meet."
"A visitor. This is why you've interrupted me?"
"Ma thinks it important. She's invited you to dinner."
Asa paused for a long moment, then asked, "What's she making?"
***
George helped Asa into his mother's house, she complained and carped at him. George looked amused as he took her cloak and hung it for her, steered her toward a chair and helped her into it. Eleni heard Asa's gravelly voice and came to her son's rescue. "She's upstairs, George," Eleni murmured before setting herself in front of Asa.
"Eleni," Asa nodded in greeting. "You've got a fine young man there, crooked, but gods damn it, good to the bone."
Eleni smiled, "He follows his own path, but he is a good boy."
"Why did you need me, Eleni?" Asa asked. "He in some sort of trouble?"
"None, that I'm aware of as yet," she murmured, glancing at the door George had gone through. "No, I'm about to introduce you to a little girl. An odd one."
"Odd how?"
"I read her tea leaves-"
Asa groaned, "You probably read 'em wrong."
"Asa, there was nothing to read, the dregs were gone."
Asa hesitated, "You did it wrong, that's fool worthy to have a youngin' with no future."
***
George had to look for Kei upstairs. For a little mite she doesn't make much sound, George thought. He even attempted to search for her with his Sight, but that didn't help. Odd, for such a powerful magic to go unregistered in his own mother's house.
He found her in his old room. She had frozen in place as she placed the pillows on the head of the bed. George couldn't remember when he had made his bed last and grinned sheepishly. Kei still hadn't moved and he thought for a moment that he had frightened her. But on closer inspection it seemed that she was caught in the same trap that George had found her in before. Her eyes were pure white and were receding to blackness. Kei blinked at him and smiled.
"I know something you don't know," she sang with a twirl, placing the pillow in the center of bed.
"Ye do?" George asked with a grin. "What's that?"
"If I told you then you'd know!"
"Smart of ye to realize. How 'bout if I say, 'please'?"
Kei stopped to consider it, then shook her head, "No."
"Hmmm," George said still grining, "I have other tricks up my sleeves. You sure you don't want to just tell me?"
"I'm not telling, George!" she cried with a smile. So, George jumped at her and tickled her mercilessly until she squealed. "I'll tell! I'll tell!"
George stopped, sat her upright on the bed and said, "Alright, no welshing out of the deal now, tell me your secret."
Kei smiled, "I guess you would have found out eventually."
"I think I would have."
"Alright. I know that you'll see lots of the world. That you won't be the King of Thieves always. You'll marry a nice woman, be nearly respectable."
George was quiet for a moment, knocked off balance from the pronouncement. "Nearly?"
She looked at him and touched his cheek solemnly. "Once crooked, always crooked." Then she giggled fiercely.
He smiled. "Come on, lass, my Ma's got a person she'd like ye to meet."
***
Asa watched the girl come down the stairs behind George. She was white on white. Hair, skin. She was a sight. The old woman stopped breathing as she saw Kei. Disbelief colored her features, surely this child, Asa thought, was a coincidence. Legends and myths, Gods and demons, such things didn't come out of the nimbus of their own realms to bother the mortals? Surely not here, surely not now?
"Kei, this is Asa," Eleni began, "a good friend of mine."
Asa didn't respond as Kei curtsied to her in the standard noble fashion. She didn't bother to fuss about the girls manners and breeding. She just watched the signs. The tell tale marks.
"It's nice to meet you, Mistress Asa," Kei said cautiously.
"Kei," Asa said gently. "It's nice to meet you as well. I'm Doi. Do you know what that is?" Kei shook her head. "It means that when I was your age I lived up near the Roof of the World. And, more importantly, that I was taught somethings about the future. Do you see the future, child?"
The little girl thought for a moment then nodded, "Yes."
"I thought so." Asa was focused on Kei, George and Eleni melted out of her mind as she looked at Kei, held her image in her mind. "I read hands, Kei. May I see yours?"
Kei had no objection to stepping toward Asa and offering her hand, palm skyward while the old woman looked it over. It took the briefest second before Asa swore an oath under her breath.
Kei's palm had no creases, no lines. And absolutely no future.