Painfully Close to Aphrodisia, Day 134 A.F.

Sweat beaded off his contorted face, his lips parted and gasping. Enki was in and out of consciousness for the last several days. We'd not dared move him further than camp, Tybira and I supporting him between us, amongst infrequent protests whenever he came to.

Our one saving grace turned out to be Gabriel. The Archangel seemed unfazed by Enki's condition, even if he might lose a bargaining chip against the Lovers. He insisted that while the Magician was blessed with incredible powers, his physical health was his crux. While most other Arcana possessed some amount of accelerated healing, The Master of Illusion's was almost slower than human. His wound would take weeks to heal, assuming he kept from reopening it.

And while injured, Enki should have known better than even attempting a powerful illusion, as any bit of magic would drain him.

But Gabriel promised he'd be alright after a good rest, a vow we all counted on.

Tybira became Enki's constant caretaker, at least while he was unconscious. Whenever his eyes fluttered open, she moved away. Despite everything, she wasn't ready to forgive him, at least not to his face; she wasn't ready to throw herself back into his charms. When she wasn't tending to the Magician, she was making unsuccessful attempts to tame Xanthus, but she could do little more than keep him at camp without devoting all her focus.

Cyprian was silent. Always. He wouldn't speak to Gabriel, Tybira was overseeing Enki, who was hardly able to converse, and I wasn't speaking with him. I'd sometimes chat with Tybira or Matthew, rendering Cyprian the outsider of our group, perhaps even more so than Gabriel.

The Hanged Man ran his fingers across the blade of his sword, rubbing wood shavings off the weapon he'd used to inefficiently cut firewood. His strong hands seemed to dance across the metal, caressing and tickling it.

I shivered at the thought of those fingers brushing along my arms, tracing my glyphs. A lump formed in my throat. Maybe there was something I could do, something I could say, to make him forget all about Circe? My admiring eyes roamed from his hands, up his strong arms, over the chest I knew to be so warm. I gazed at his lips for a moment, savoring the memory of them against mine, before peering at his eyes. His eyes that were fixed directly on me.

So focused on his hands, I hadn't even noticed Cyprian was looking at me. Had he noticed I was staring? My neck prickled, but I held his unreadable gaze. His eyes flickered and smoldered like burning coal, each second of contact searing into my cheeks.

I swallowed, licking my lips. My pulse roared in my ears. The intensity with which he stared at me... I was sure he could see right through my ratty dress.

Cyprian's eyes lowered, almost imperceptibly for a moment, then flitted back to mine. He shifted as if he was about to get up, to come towards me.

But before he had the chance, a winged figure landed directly between us, obscuring my view of the Hanged Man: Gabriel, returned from his daily reconnaissance. He straightened and folded his wings, glancing between Cyprian and I with a raised eyebrow. "I caught sight of Fortune not far from here. Paravaiz got spooked when she saw me pass over head, but it's only a matter of time before she or someone else gets bolder."

We'd gotten near enough to Aphrodisia to hear the Lovers' Call, -We will love you. In our own way.- But it wasn't only Myra and Melville's voices plaguing our minds.

Paravaiz's -Where she stops, nobody knows.- hadn't ceased since our run in.

-I'll make a feast of your bones!- always set my teeth on edge. Chesed. But, Gabriel promised that an increase in Call volume didn't always mean they were near, just that they were active.

That didn't comfort me, especially when I began hearing an unfamiliar female whisper     -Behold the bringer of doubt.-

I trusted Gabriel. With Enki out of commission, he was our expert on all things Arcana, and I knew he'd keep us safe, simply because he needed us.

"Do you think we'll be able to fend her off?" I asked, tilting my head past him to steal a look at Cyprian; the Hanged Man had returned to his sword.

"No," Enki grunted, pushing up on his elbows. His face paled and contorted, but he didn't lower himself. He must have seeped into awareness just in time to hear of our unwanted neighbor. "Not if she's figured out her true capabilities, and in that case, we need to move out and fast."

Gabriel's wings fluttered. "Because we're hanging around here of our own choosing? Because I'd rather be sitting around a campfire than another day closer to saving Lotan? Face it, Magician, you can't stand up and maintain consciousness."

Enki jerked upward, twisting his torso in an effort to fling himself upright. He only succeeded in grunting in pain and clamping his hand over his chest.

Tybira placed a hand on his shoulder, easing him down. "Just a few more nights? We'll be fine for a little bit longer so long as you rest." Her voice was surprisingly soft considering Enki's current lucidity.

The Master of Illusion grumbled under his breath, but allowed Tybira to restrain him. "I'm an Arcana, I was born to fight, not be nursed like a babe. I should be doing something useful."

"No, you should be resting," Tybira repeated, summoning Freki with a wave of her hand. The she-wolf lay beside Enki, letting him prop himself up against her flank. Smintheus the rat scrambled under Enki's chin and nestled in the crook of his neck.

Cyprian looked up from his sword, smirking with a cheery mirth that stuck out sharply in our situation. "You'd prefer to be nursed like a babe, Velos. At least then you wouldn't be the only one shirtless."

"Quiet, Marsoine," Enki retorted, making an obvious effort to keep his eyes from trailing to Tybira's darkening face. Despite their embarrassment, neither seemed upset by the jeer.

I couldn't keep the laugh from my lips at the discomfort coloring my friends' faces. As soon as I laughed, Cyprian's deep chuckle began behind me, followed by Tybira's shrill giggle and Enki's breathy chortle. My shoulders relaxed with every bubbling laugh, my head clearing.

Even Gabriel could barely restrain the curling of his lips. Though he refused to loose even a smile, his eyes seemed to inch upward with a twinkling amusement. "Oh yes, attract even more attention with your mindless roaring."

"Smooth your feathers, Bird-Boy." Cyprian went on cackling, and I was surprised to note the genuine crinkle in his eyes: a true smile, not just his typical scowl or cocky smirk.

The Archangel flapped his wings once and turned away, but I caught sight of the grin on his stubbled face.

We went on laughing, likely longer and harder than any of us had since the Flood. My sides burned, but only made my grin wider. It wasn't that Cyprian's comment had been so hilarious, but the simple fact that he'd made a joke, a genuine jest in this world, not colored with sarcasm or cynicism, just a joke. My cheeks stretched so far they hurt.

Our giggles continued until Enki's chuckles turned to wheezing hacks. He nestled into Freki's coat, nodding at Tybira. "A few more nights." He held Smin to his chest and let his eyes slide shut.

Gabriel cleared his throat as Enki drifted back into oblivion, no doubt over-worked from our lapse in dread. "I'll take watch."

Cyprian's face had returned to a glare. "Because any of us would sleep with you on guard?"

I would. Part of me was growing to like the Archangel. The past nights, I'd had many perfect opportunities to strike. Gabriel had taken to sleeping on the ground with the rest of us, and burrowed under his wings, I could easily claim his Icon. It was becoming even easier to summon my claws, but each time my fingertips welled with poison I was staid. If Gabriel was sleeping so near that meant he trusted us.

To betray him now... I vowed I'd eliminate the angel at the next opportunity, but the cycle continued. I'd even considered sending out a volley of poppy spores to insure my companions remained asleep, and thus Gabriel remained untouched, but I wasn't nearly confident enough in my abilities to attempt such a feat. But no one made a move. Perhaps I wasn't the only one being won over. At least I hoped that was the case. If they were all waiting on me... Every day we neared Aphrodisia. If Red and Nose recaptured us because I refused to execute the Archangel, our suffering would be my fault.

"Don't start," Tybira grumbled. "I'll keep watch." She dabbed the hem of her skirt against Enki's wound, mopping up any moisture while he slept, because she wouldn't dare while he was awake.

Cyprian grunted, still scowling at Gabriel, but he settled down. His sword lay at his side. He fiddled with that unknown chain around his neck. He concealed the object under his shirt and laid back on the barren earth, his arms folded behind his head. Cyprian swiveled his head towards me, fixated on my face. The crease of his forehead shifted from anger to something unplaceable, but troubled. His eyes wandered across my body.

I narrowed my eyes, jutting my chin forward. Heat crept across my neck, but I simply glared and flashed a rather vulgar hand gesture, which earned a scarcely-stifled snort from Tybira.

The Hanged Man's eyebrows shot upward before his face melted into a wide smirk. He rolled onto his side, face disappearing, though I could make out the subtle shake of his broad shoulders.

Rolling my eyes, I turned my back on him, prompting Tybira to immediately return her attention to the slumbering Enki in feeble effort to conceal her chortling.

I glanced at Gabriel, who folded his wings over his body in a sort of feathered cocoon. It would be so easy to plunge my claws into his wings, spreading poison through his veins. By the time he felt the Viper bite, it would be too late. But... it wasn't wise to eliminate our primary source of surveillance while Enki was so weak. I'd claim the Archangel's Icon as soon as Enki recovered. To be sure Cyprian didn't make that mistake, I sent grasses slithering around his sword, encasing the blade. If he attempted to wield it, I'd feel my serpents snap and wake up.

Yawning, I scooted towards Matthew, who had been silently doodling in the dust with a twig. I'd learned better than to press the Fool for glimpses of the future. If he wanted to share, he would, but asking would get me nowhere. I glanced at his drawing: a sloppy, goat-looking creature, with hooves and horns being slayed by a stick-figure with a bow.

"What are you drawing?" I asked. Admittedly, I'd been conversing with Matthew far less frequently than I should have. The poor boy must be lonely, even surrounded by his allies.

"This." He gestured to his sketch with the stick.

Fair answer. I suppose. "How are you doing?"

"When?" He didn't look up.

"Right now." I was talking to a rock.

"In which present?"

"The one I'm speaking to you right now in."

"There's eighteen of those." Matthew added a crescent moon to his drawing.

I resisted the urge to grind my teeth. "This one. This one, right now. No other timelines. How are you in this timeline?"

He shrugged. "Fine."

All that for him to say fine? It was increasingly difficult to endure Matthew's tediousness, but I patted his shoulder and forced a smile. "Get some sleep, okay?"

"The Game doesn't sleep so neither can I. Listen to the Calls. Remember the past, your friend."

"I will in the morning." Fatigue crushed down upon me. I curled up near Matthew, resisting the urge to hug him. As frustrating as he was, at times, I couldn't help be reminded of Lalita. My eyes slide shut as thoughts of my sister filtered through my mind.

                ~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~

"I can't do it," I moped, staring at the cattails in front of me. They swayed in a gentle breeze, a constant motion that only irritated me.

"Sure you can!" Lalita kneeled beside me, her hair a frizzy mop atop her head. "Just focus. Tie them into a knot without touching them." She'd dragged me down to the river bank as soon as Father left for work and Mother began her embroidery. So long as we were back in the sitting room by the time Father returned, no one would know we were gone.

"But Father will be home soon." I pouted, flicking a fluffy cattail with my nail. "I want to go play with Paltic."

"Try. Please!" Lita rested her chin on my shoulder. "I know you can do it. You have to."

Lalita said I could do magic if I tried. That was just about the most miraculous thing I could imagine. I stared at the cattail, screwing my face up so tightly I could no longer see it. I stuck my tongue out and grunted with effort. That cattail had to be tied up by now. But I kept trying, focusing so hard my belly seemed to tingle. Lita's hands tightened on my shoulder. Did it work?

I opened my eyes to see a bunch of fluffy brow paint brushes swaying in the breeze, utterly unaware of my effort. My lower lip jutted forward. "I told you I couldn't do it."

"But you can! They shook for a moment. You were doing it, just try again."

"No." I crossed my arms. "This isn't fun. I don't want to play this game."

"You have to play the Game, whether you want to or not. If you can't even get these cattails to bend you'll be the weakest player out there. You'll die! Come on, Ayesha, don't be a quitter." Lita scowled at me, pointing at the plants. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her little face far older than her years. She was a disappointed parent, somehow angry that I couldn't do something no one else could.

My lower lip trembled, tears brimming over, tracing lines down my crumpled, red face. "Stop yelling at me!"

"I'm not yelling," Lita retorted. "I don't want you to get hurt. You need to be strong."

"I don't want to play," I repeated, fumbling to my feet.

Her face slackened. Suddenly her lip was trembling too, tiny legs sprinting after me. "Wait! Ayesha, no. Don't tell Father and Mother. If Father finds out he'll be mad."

I whirled around. "That book again? Is that what made you think I can do magic? Father says it's fake."

Lita shook her head, curls bouncing. "It's not. It's all real, and you can do magic. You just need to practice more. But you can't tell Father about it! He'll be so angry. He doesn't believe in the Game and it scares him. He'll yell at me again."

Father yelled at Lalita very often, each time more furious than the last. I sighed. "Fine. But I don't want to play Magic anymore. Deal?"

"Fine." She sighed, kicking a stone on the ground. Her head snapped up, a mischievous smile playing upon her lips. "Let's play Army. I'll play the soldier and you be the commander."

My tears ceased instantaneously. "Okay!"

Lita took off, sprinting across the ground. I trailed after her, whooping and squealing. We kept running, even after we past the oak grove in which we usually played Army. I was out of breath, but Lita finally drew to a stop in front of a little dip in the earth, dotted with innumerable larch tree saplings. I gaped at the beautiful field of fresh sprouts soaking up the sun.

"There's your army." Lalita flew towards the plants, arms waving in the air. "We're at your command."

I grinned at my garden of soldiers. In my widened eyes, the baby trees morphed into a troop of militants, all kneeling before me. Branches sharpened to swords, leaves to arrow heads, my fantasized battalion of greenery. I put my hands on my hips, picturing myself a stoic, war-hardened commander. "Hello, army! Listen up."

Lita's tiny fist snatched a branch, waggling it at me as if waving. She lowered her tone, infusing her voice with gravel. "Hello, Empress Ayesha! Whatever you wish is our duty to fulfill."

                ~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~

Lady Lotus reclined by a sparkling seaside. The blazing sun glinted blindingly off the water, igniting the flames in her fiery hair. She examined the Icons on her hand.

Although Fuana's paw print and the Magician's ouroboros were present, there was no Icon added for The Fool. Perhaps this scene happened before Lady Lotus had offed Matthew.

"You're collecting quite the hand, Empress," mused a disembodied female voice, calm and tranquil.

Lady Lotus turned towards the sparkling ocean, a smirk dancing across her dark lips. Her cruel eyes glittered mischievously. "Yes, I believe I have, dear."

"Must you always play with them so?" The voice sighed mockingly. "So torturous you are."

"Like a cat with a mouse," the witch agreed, leaning back luxuriously in the sun. "It would be no fun if I didn't." As she stretched, she gave a shocking resemblance to Rilda's poor-tempered mousing cat reclining in pools of sunlight.

The voice laughed musically, bubbling like a cheerful brook. "So long as you know that you won't be playing with me, Empress." The threat in the voice was apparent, however offhand it was--a knife drawn, but kept lowered.

Lady Lotus turned from the river, smiling coyly and positively feline. "I wouldn't dream of it, love." Sickly sweet promises dripped from her smirk like the deadly poison from her claws.

"On alert," warned the voice, the witch's vow seemingly forgotten. The ocean churned with a slight discontent. "Someone approaches."

The red haired witch dragged her clawed finger nonchalantly along the back of her hand, caressing each of her many Icons. "I suppose it's time to collect another beautiful mark."

                ~~~~~~~~~~•~~~~~~~~~~

"Wake up!" Tybira's yell mingled and blended with the crying of her wolves, the sounds blurring until they were hardly distinguishable.

"Wha-?" I blinked away images of red hair and ocean as I rolled over, scanning my coven of allies. Everyone was already awake and on alert, excluding Matthew, who had evidently chosen a crises as the perfect time for rest. Cyprian brandished his sword, Gabriel circled above with Morrigury, Xanthus pawed the earth, Enki raised himself to his knees in a feeble attempt to appear intimidating, and Tybira snarled at his side, ears pointed and fangs poking past her lips. The wolves circled our group, hackles raised.

"On your feet," Cyprian barked, stomping towards me. He reached under my arm, yanking me to my feet before I could stand on my own. "Get those claws ready. We're not alone."

"Who?" Before Cyprian could answer, and even before my nails could morph into thorns, a bellowing roar drowned out the wolves' howls. Thunderous stomping seemed to rattle the ground as a mountainous beast with curling horns galloped towards us, baying for blood.

((It's been awhile! I just got back from New York City and I have to admit I got no writing done while I was there, so I was on a kick when I got back. That's why the next chapter will be pretty long, but hopefully exciting. We'll even meet another new character!

I hope you enjoyed a lighter chapter, even if it was mostly a bridge. Even as the cruel author, I thought I'd let Ayesha and the others breath for a few minutes. But as Matthew said, the Game doesn't stop and now their all in trouble!

I finished the next chapter, but I want to finish the one after before I publish it. I think some of you will highly enjoyed the one I'm working on now.

Anyway, thanks for reading. For those of you in school, have an awesome spring break!))