The Catbird Seat

Chapter 3

Arthur eyed the Spades castle as he idly dug his nails into his fingers. Birds flew past the spires, and citizens loomed over him, blocking his view every so often. His eyes fell down to the part-dirt, part-stone street as news about the royal newborns scattered about the capital. Twins, he'd heard. The Queen of Spades had given birth to twins. Maybe they'd be the new king and queen.

Arthur frowned.

There went his chances to live in a big, pretty castle.

"Arthur!"

Arthur gasped, "Scott—," and his eyes flew from his fingers to see his older brother approach and grab his arm.

"What're you doing out here in the street?" Scott towered over him, his hair whipping about in the wind like fire as worry flickered in his eyes.

Arthur kept his eyes locked with his brother's before turning his attention back towards the castle.

Scott tilted his head up, noting all the people gravitating towards the far-away structure. "…Are you excited? Because there's a change? Or because…" His eyes fell on his little brother—on his tattered clothes and dirtied toes. He sighed. "… C'mon. You're too short to see." Scott yanked Arthur up into his arms and placed him on his shoulders. "Hang on."

Arthur clung to Scott's head and stretched his neck to see better. "… Not tall like Dad."

"Dad's a grown-up. He's supposed to be tall." Scott let out a laugh. "Least I'm not as short as you. You can't even reach a knight's knee."

"M'gonna grow," Arthur muttered. Scott hummed in agreement. His eyes widened as a firework shot into the sky. "Scott…"

Scott's lips tucked into a slight smirk. "S'just magic. Everyone in Cards knows about the royal babies. The Jack put everyone's happiness together with powder and fire. That's Spades being happy. And Cards being happy. It'll give good luck and make the newborns great kings, queens, aces, jacks—…people. I guess. Whatever happens. You wanna make them happy, right?"

Arthur rested his chin on his arms as he watched and nodded. The fireworks sounded like a thousand giant bubbles rumbling as they popped and then like hail falling onto a cobblestone road. A few whistled and screamed in their fly and descent, and Arthur would admit to being afraid of them if he weren't so entranced by the pretty lights.

Scott patted Arthur's leg once the last few fireworks shot and fizzled.

"Mm." Arthur's eyes were closed as he had listened to the distant popping.

"You like the castle?"

Arthur nodded.

Scott turned and headed back home. "You wanna live in it?"

Arthur nodded.

"…I can't get it for you."

Arthur let out a soft whine.

A laugh bubbled in Scott's throat. "You're so spoiled. I can't get you a castle. But…I can get you something else." He headed into their home, pulling the door shut and turning the wooden lock on its side. He set Arthur down at the table. "Wait here." Arthur leaned against the table and watched as Scott fetched a small sleeve from their room. He dropped his week's pay into a wooden jar before setting the centimeter-thick sleeve on the table. "Look through them."

Arthur stretched and felt the sleeve in his hands, giving it a quizzical look.

Scott slipped the sleeve out of Arthur's hands and pinched one edge as he pulled on another. Scott set the sleeve aside and began shuffling his cards. "They're not a castle, but they're special. You can use them to tell the future."

Arthur's eyes stretched wide as he pulled over a chair and stood on it, getting a bird's eye view of Scott's shuffling. "The future?"

"Yeah, but first you gotta throw these guys out." Scott plucked the two jokers from the deck. "They don't fit."

Arthur stared at the joker cards as if he were trying to make them fly with his mind.

Scott met Arthur's eyes and snickered. "They can't fit in this game. They don't count. C'mon. Pay attention."

Arthur broke his stare and watched Scott set up 13 piles.

"What do you wanna know?"

Arthur's eyes flickered between Scott and the set-up, and his eyebrows furrowed.

Scott shrugged. "Do you wanna know… If you'll get a good job? If you'll live in a castle? If you'll marry a pretty girl? If you'll meet the King?"

Arthur nipped his bottom lip. "I wanna…see the castle."

Scott lifted an eyebrow. "Not live in one?" He looked to Arthur before glancing away. "Y'know… They don't know where the new King, Queen, or Jack are. You could be one. Let's ask it. Are you the new King? Let's ask it that."

Arthur frowned, but nodded just the same.

Scott nodded in return. "Clock, is Arthur the new King of Spades?" He drew from the center pile. "See, that's a five. Put it in the 5 o'clock pile like this." He slipped the card beneath the 5 o'clock pile. "And you put jacks on 11, queens on 12, and kings in the middle." He drew from the 5 o'clock pile and placed the 6 under the 6 o'clock pile. He kept drawing and showing Arthur the cards as he played the fortune game.

After a couple minutes, Scott drew the final king with a tsk and slipped it under the 13th pile. They looked over the clock, only two piles showing—one of which was the king's pile. "Bad luck. …" Scott pooled the cards together and began shuffling again. "Maybe you're the new jack." Once shuffling was done, Scott set up the clock again. "Clock, is Arthur the new Jack of Spades?" He waited a moment before drawing from the 13th pile. It began again with a 5. Scott ignored the similar beginning and moved on, pulling cards and slipping them under piles. After pulling a third king, he moved faster, pulling and slipping. Pile after pile showed its true face, and determination burned in Scott's eyes.

Arthur watched Scott's hands move back and forth as fast as they could. He stared at the completed clock—all faces showing.

Scott let out an accomplished huff. "It's set. A perfect clock." He sent Arthur a grin. "Guess you're gonna be the Jack of Spades."

"… I thought the queen was next."

Scott's grin fell into a frown, and he pooled the cards together again. "You don't wanna be the queen." He spoke instantly and paused in his movements. "…The job's not…really like you. I'd make a better queen. I know the navy better than you." Scott rushed to change the subject. "You're gonna be the jack. You're gonna see the castle!" He forced a smile.

Before Arthur could express concern, his eyes brightened at the thought of visiting the Spades Castle. Him, a jack! Looking at all those pretty flowers and shooting off Spades smiles and happiness with powder and fire! He bounced up and down on his seat, excitement gripping him. "I'm gonna be Jack!"

"You're gonna be Jack." Scott slid his cards back in their sleeve and placed the sleeve in front of Arthur. "A Jack's gonna need magic fortune-telling cards."

Arthur picked up the deck and turned it over in his hands before flashing a grateful smile. He had magic! He'd be the Jack of Spades! Meet the King, the Queen, see all the people—He'll see the castle! Maybe he'll even shoot off fireworks.