In The Cards

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Eilie sighed and looked over at her sister. "Rina... do you think... do you think we can win this fight?"

The woman in the green silks blinked and looked up from her cards. "Do you want to know what I think, or what the cards say...?"

Eilie considered that as she brushed the wrinkles out of her red silks. She had never known a time when the cards had been wrong, and right now, she was feeling less than optimistic.

"I want to know what you think..."

Rina smiled slightly. "I think we can win."

Eilie glanced over at Bolgan, who was asleep in one of the beds. His deep breathing was accompanied by a rumbling snore that neither woman was quite able to ignore.

Rina idly put the cards back into the deck and began shuffling it again. "I wonder if it's fair for us to bring someone like Bolgan into all this..." she murmured.

Eilie looked up sharply. "He's a good fighter, Rina. Without him, I'm sure we'd be dead now."

"Yes, but... oh, never mind. You're right."

The sisters sat in silence for awhile, Rina shuffling her tarot cards and Eilie polishing her throwing knives. It wasn't quite a comfortable silence, but neither one knew what to say.

I wish... I wish I knew how all of this would turn out,' Eilie thought with a soft sigh.

The silence was a little less than comfortable, and it was Eilie who broke it first. "Rina?"

The other girl looked up. "Hmm?"

"...What's going to happen to us when this war is over?"

Rina shrugged her narrow shoulders. "We'll leave, I suppose. Take our act on the road and make some good money."

Eilie looked away, brushing a stray lock of hair back. "I kinda wanna stay," she mumbled.

A grin slowly crept onto Rina's lips. "What was that, sis? I didn't quite hear you..."

The younger girl flushed brightly. "I want to stay here."

"Oh...? Why ever would you want to do that?" Rina asked, feigning innocence.

Eilie frowned, looking up. "You know why, Rina. You tease me enough about it."

The older sister let out a giggle. "I want to hear you say it, Eilie... come on. Is it really that hard to admit??"

The girl in the red silks huffed. "Fiiiine. I want to stay because... because I... like Lord Jehan," she finished in a rush, blushing brightly.

Her sister let out a musical laugh. "There! Was that so tough?"

"Yes," Eilie replied, sticking out her tongue.

Rina was about to retort, but she was cut off by a particularly loud snore from Bolgan's direction. Both girls were silent for a moment, and then burst into giggles.

"Okay, come on," Rina said, once she they had both calmed down, "You need to get some sleep, sis. Tomorrow's going to be a tough day."

Eilie blinked as she stood up. "The cards told you that?"

Rina winced inwardly. She hadn't meant to let that slip. "Well, hasn't every day been tough, lately? I'm pretty sure I heard Shu mention another battle... anyway, it's best to be prepared, right?" She smiled brightly.

The younger girl sighed. "Yeah, you're right." As she climbed into bed and blew out the lamp there, she looked over at Rina, who was still sitting at the table with a single candle burning. "Sis? Aren't you going to get some sleep?"

Rina looked over her shoulder and smiled. "I will in a few minutes, Eilie. Don't worry."

Eilie murmured something as she closed her eyes. Sleep was quick in coming to her.

Meanwhile, the eldest sister turned back to the table and laid out a three card spread. She stared at them for a long moment, face unreadable. Her dark eyes stopped on the last card.

Death's grinning skull stared back at her.

"Unstoppable change..." she murmured, gazing into the empty black eye holes. "...One side will lose tomorrow. And somebody has to die... but, I wonder..." she trailed off, slowly placing the cards back into the deck.

I wonder... will it be Lord Jehan, or King Luca who dies tomorrow night...?

The card reader swallowed the lump in her throat and blew out the candle. It was time to get some sleep. No use thinking about the cards now... they wouldn't tell her who would win the battle, anyway. No, they weren't talking tonight.

She climbed into bed and closed her eyes, silently praying for a favorable outcome. She hadn't made it this far for nothing...