Free A Matter of Temperance (The Adventures of Ichabod Temperance Book 1) by Ichabod Temperance Page B

it...uncomfortable. For now let us turn our attention to these dangers you have mentioned...and that I have somehow known existed, though I could not tell you how.”
    “That is because, Persephone, you are like Herr Himmel in one way - and one way only: you too are far more than you appear, or than you realize, but your hidden depths are to the good, and not of the darkness.”
    He pours me a snifter of the finest Cognac - knowing that I eschew those vapid alcoholic beverages typically allowed to respectable females - and turns to the large bay window overlooking the small mews at the side of the Clubbe.
    “I believe that we must consult the cards for more information,” he says, and without further ado, he reaches for his Tarot cloth and deck.
    Quietly, Stanislas lays out the cards for me:
    1. The General Situation: Le Monde (Reversed)
    2. What crosses this for good or for ill: La Maison Dieu
    3. The root of the problem: Le Bateleur (Reversed)
    4. What crosses this for good or for ill: L’Diable
    5. The next steps for us:
    L’Amoreux
    Le Chariot
    L’Eremite
    6. What surrounds me, and what I must do:
La Papesse
    crossed by La Lune
    7. What surrounds Mr. Temperance, and what he must do
    Le Fou
    crossed by Le Pendu
    8. The outcome predicted at this time:
    La Roue d’Fortune
    9. What are the most likely scenarios, given that the last card was ambiguous:
    Either La Morte
    or
    Les Etoiles
    Stanislas quickly explains:
    “I drew the cards as I felt compelled and into a new configuration I have not yet used. In sum, the World itself faces an unprecedented catastrophe; the cause of this is an evil Magus who is in league with something diabolical; you and Mr. Temperance (and here I blush, for the card so clearly representing us was “The Lovers”) must take a long journey and meet with a wise counsel. You must trust this advice and follow it to the letter, for there is much you do not know.”
    “In regard to you, Persephone, for your whole life, you have had certain hidden abilities, abilities which make you a woman of a certain power. As a Plumtartt, you inherited a secret, millenia-old trust, as well as this power.  The accident in your father’s laboratory has amplified those abilities, much as the Revelatory Comet has affected my own abilities. Yet much darkness surrounds the truth of these abilities. I know not what they are. I know only that they relate to the foul scroll that your companion carries. You have done well not to touch it, for its proximity to you is pernicious to your very health. The presence of the Moon here also indicates that there are hidden dangers that will try to obscure the truth from you, and even to harm you in a grievous manner.”
    “For Mr. Temperance, however, the situation is somewhat different. Though he is brave, honorable to a fault, and undoubtedly loyal to you, he is still a boy - an innocent - and that boy must become a man. He must do this through making a sacrifice...a sacrifice that may involve the loss of his life.”
    “When I drew the Wheel of Fortune as the outcome card, I realized that the future is still mutable...there is an element of chance. The end result of your efforts will lead either to the death of much, if not all, that we have known as a species, or to a renewed hope for a future free of this darkness. You and Mr. Temperance are indeed spinning the roulette wheel, but you must make the effort. It is all up to you.”
    “As to the scroll itself, I cannot myself translate it. Just as the Plumtartt family has been entrusted with the document itself, so others – a very select few – have taken upon themselves the task of uncovering the scroll’s history, and understanding its contents. You must consult...”
    Before Stanislas can say more, we hear a loud altercation taking place in the parlour we had so recently vacated. I can hear the gruff, guttural voice of the obstreperous German, and a familiar, yet angry voice in riposte to the Prussian’s. Then the