“Oh.” Feeling exceedingly stupid, the bardling muttered, “Of course.”
The door swung open soundlessly. “Come on, kid,” Lydia said—”Churches are always where the money is. Let’s go.”
Kevin warily followed her down a short flight of stairs. He paused halfway down, glancing about.
The room at the bottom of the steps was small and windowless, but elegant enough, with walls and tables of sleekly polished wood. It was full of people sitting at or standing around those tables, some of them so richly —or gaudily—clad the bardling’s eyebrows rose in surprise. The only sounds were the faint rustle of cards, the clink of coins, and an occasional sigh or smothered oath.
“This is a gambling house!” Kevin exclaimed, feeling a wicked little thrill of excitement run through him. They hardly had this sort of thing back in Bracklin! “Lydia, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Earning us some funds.”
“B-but those are the only coins we’ve got left! If you lose them ...”
Lydia shrugged. “Whatever the Fates decree.” As a man threw down his hand and stalked off in disgust, the woman flopped down onto the vacant chair. “What’s the game?”
No one even glanced up. “Five-card Tarot,” someone muttered. “Pentacles wild.”
“Fine.” To Kevin’s horror, she dumped all his coins out on the table in front other. “I’m in.”
The bardling had no idea what the rules of Five-card Tarot might be. He’d never even heard of the game before! Chewing anxiously on his lower lip, he watched as Lydia thoughtfully kept or discarded the brightly colored cards, or glanced every now and then at her equally pensive fellow players: three middle-aged human men and an elven half-blood of indeterminate age and gender. With each round, the bardling saw with a shudder, more and more of his precious coins were added to the pot.
“I’m out,” one of the humans muttered suddenly, throwing down his cards and leaving. The others never even noticed. After another hand:
“Me, too,” said the half-elf with a shrug, vanishing into the crowd.
Lydia and the two remaining men never flickered an eyelash. One of the men, Kevin noted, was a bushy-bearded fellow in somber red robes, while the other was a thin, clean-shaven man, smooth of skin and dressed in an elegant tunic of blue velvet, but they were alike in their impassive concentration. The game went on, cards being selected, discarded. The pile of coins in the center of the table grew ever larger.
If she loses now, the bardling thought with a shudder, we’ll have nothing left!
But without warning, Lydia threw down her hand with a cry of triumph.
“There! Be at that!”
Kevin saw that the cards she’d been holding were the King, Queen, Knight and Page of Swords, and the Five of Wands. It was obviously a good hand, because Bushy Beard and Smooth Skin threw down their cards in disgust. Smiling sweetly, Lydia raked in the pot
“Come on!” Kevin whispered. “We’ve got our money back. Let’s get out of here!”
“Are you joking?” she whispered back. “That’s not enough to bribe anyone! Besides, I’ve just begun.”
“What do you mean? Lydia, if you lose—”
“I’m not going to lose—All right, gentlemen,” the woman added in a bright voice. “Shall we try one more time?”
Bushy Beard and Smooth Skin grumbled. But to Kevin’s horror, they agreed. This time, as the winner of the last round, Lydia was the dealer, sending the cards flashing out in neat, colorful piles to the other players. “Same stakes?”
“Same stakes,” they muttered, almost as one.
She’s going to lose. I know she’s going to lose. We won’t have a coin left and—Oh, I knew it! Bushy Beard impassively raked in his winnings.
“Lydia!” Kevin whispered frantically. “That’s enough! Let’s get out of here while we still have something left!”
“Hush. One more round, gentlemen?”
Smooth Skin nodded. Bushy Beard, fingering his winnings, was slower to agree.
“All right,” he muttered at last.
Lydia smiled. “But we’ve been playing a kid’s game so far. How about some real risks, eh? Major Arcana and double stakes, this rime? And winner takes all?”
Both men hesitated this time. Then Bushy Beard shrugged. “Why not?”
“What about you, my friend?” Lydia crooned.
Smooth Skin sighed. “All right. But just this one hand. I have ... other engagements.”
“We’ll try not to keep you too long,” Lydia said drily.
Fuming and terrified, Kevin watched Bushy Beard shuffle the entire deck this time, Major and Minor Arcana together, and deal out the bright-hued cards. Fists clenched, he watched Lydia thoughtfully pick up then discard card after card, her face a studious blank.
“Raise,” she said after a while, pushing a few coins towards the center of the table.
“Raise,” echoed Smooth Skin, doing the same.
Bushy Beard hesitated a long time, but at last added his share of coins.
The game went on. And on. Each time it was Lydia’s turn, she studied her cards for a time, then called out:
“Raise.”
That’s the last of our winnings! Kevin realized. If she loses this hand, we’ll be beggared!
It was Smooth Skin who hesitated this time, hand toying with the coins in front of him. “Raise,” he said at last.
Bushy Beard swore under his breath. “Too rich for me,” he muttered, throwing down his cards and stalking away.
Lydia smiled. “Show ‘em,” she said.
Smooth Skin showed his teeth in a sharp grin. “Beat this.”
He held The Emperor. The Empress, The Fool, The Knight of Swords and The Five of Wands.
“Interesting.” Lydia’s voice was grim.
She’s lost, I know she’s lost. We’re lost.
But then the woman’s gloomy face broke into a grin. “What a shame you didn’t have another Major Arcana card! Beatllis!”
Her hand held The Magician, The Hanged Man, The Sun, The Tower, and The Lovers.
All Major Arcana cards. Does that mean ...?
it did. With a snarl. Smooth Skin got to his feet and stormed off, leaving Lydia to rake in the entire pot.
“Now can we please get out of here?” Kevin asked, sure Smooth Skin was going to return with thugs.
“Hey, kid, 1 know when to quit!” Lydia paused just long enough to make the bardling’s heart race, then grinned. “And now, my friend, is definitely the time!”
Only when they were outside and halfway down the block did it occur to Kevin that he hadn’t seen Tich’ki since they’d entered the temple. As though just thinking of her was enough to conjure her up, the fairy suddenly appeared at his side, wings fluttering, grinning her feral grin and waving a colorful piece of parchment
“Wait a minute,” Kevin said. “That’s a tarot card!”
“Two points to the clever lad with the lute!”
“But—Let me see that!” The bardling snatched the card from Tich’ki’s hand before she could dart away. “This is one of the cards from the deck Lydia was using! It’s The High Priestess, one of the Major Ar—Ha! No wonder that man couldn’t get all the Major Arcana cards! Lydia, you were cheating}”