“Note, dear lady, that the card does not face you, but faces me. It is inverted.”

The overwhelming dread I felt a few moments ago broke, and I quite inappropriately let out a brief, relieved guffaw. “You mean…” I composed myself for a moment, “…I won’t be the one that dies, but the one who will cause death?” I hadn’t really planned on any hunting this evening, but if my success was shown in the cards…

“Yes. You will be victorious over those you’ve slain, but note that there are no beast-form corpses in the tale of this card.”

I froze again, taking a hard swallow. Sure, I lived in Ravenwood… It’s not exactly a sylvan paradise… But I’d rarely even raised my voice, much less be driven to take the life of another human being.

What was this telling me about my future? About myself? Desperate for some additional clarity, I placed another coin onto the table to request another card to be dealt. The senses of fear and hope tore me in opposite directions as she began her next draw.