Chapter 49: Purple Tent

Mokuba and Joan, trailed by their bodyguards, wandered a little farther amidst whiffs of patchouli and boisterous festival goers until a psychic reading booth caught Joan's attention. Unlike the uniform white canopies that dominated the quad, this one consisted of dark purple fabric elegantly draped over ornate poles.

Joan squeezed Mokuba's bicep and nodded at the purple tent. "Hey, I've always wanted to try one of those but figured it would be a waste of money. Under the circumstances, though, it could be exactly what we need."

"Maybe. Can't hurt, I guess."

They approached the purple tent. Inside stood a little round table with a purple tablecloth and three pillar candles. A wrinkled woman with a coin-fringed scarf over her hair and even more jewelry than the Mystic Talismans shopkeeper sat in a folding chair behind the table. "Welcome! You seek answers to what is hidden?"

"Yes," Joan said.

"Allow me to say, my dear, that you have an absolutely stunning aura of light; the answers will not remain hidden from you for long. My name is Drina, and it will be a pleasure to read your cards."

Oh boy, again with the light thing, Joan thought. All the same, she put on a smile and entered the tent. "I'm Joan, and this is Mokuba."

Drina stood and shook their hands. "Good to meet you, Joan and Mokuba." Drina saw that Mokuba radiated purple and green energy: a good spender. She also noticed a swirling of energy between them. Definitely a couple. A protective field of blue extended around them, and Drina traced it to two more people standing a few paces behind them. "And your friends?"

"Oh. Bodyguards," Joan clarified.

Drina's eyebrows shot up. Like most people at the festival, she didn't follow mainstream media, so why this young couple needed bodyguards baffled her. "Oh? Must they stand so close? Sometimes, I need to reveal things to my clients privately."

Mokuba turned to Tamara and Joe. "Take a little break, but don't go too far. I'm not sure how long this will take."

Drina settled back into her chair and began laterally shuffling a deck of tarot cards. "Is this your first reading?"

"Yes," Mokuba admitted.

"Would you like a couple's reading? I'm sensing a very powerful energy between you two."

Joan and Mokuba exchanged glances.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong," Drina said quickly. "Sometimes, especially at festivals, with so many people excited to have a good time, I mistake that energy for romantic energy."

Mokuba sat down at the table. "No, you're right. A couple's reading sounds good."

Joan pulled up a second chair. "Sure, but we have something else we're wondering about."

"I sense a secret, one that you are keeping from people close to you."

"How'd you know?" Mokuba asked.

"Forgive me if I'm wrong, this is a rather unique case, but the energy I'm sensing from you is very similar to what I've seen in pregnant couples who aren't ready to share the news yet."

Mokuba shivered. "Uh . . . I don't think . . ."

"Probably not. It's possible," Joan said, "but that's not why we're here. We have another issue, one we don't know who we can trust with."

"So, you both have the same question?"

"Yes," Mokuba confirmed.

"That's good. In that case, we'll do a Celtic Cross spread. Is that all right with you?"

Joan and Mokuba nodded.

Drina passed them the deck of cards. "Focus your attention on your question and cut the deck twice, once for each of you." They did, and Drina shuffled them once more. She then laid out ten cards facedown in a complex pattern. Drina turned over the first card, which reminded Joan of a Catholic pope. "This card, the Hierophant, represents your current situation. He stands for tradition, conformity, and religion."

"You're kidding," Joan blurted.

"Ah, but he is reversed. This tells me that you two have a very unconventional relationship based on something most people would not approve of. Are you at odds with your family over your relationship?"

"Yes," Joan said, "my parents don't approve, but they have no control over me at this point."

"And Mokuba, what about your family? I sense they might have more influence over you."

"No. My parents are dead."

Drina closed her eyes. "I'm seeing a very tall man with blue eyes. He's very protective of you but has strange ways of showing it. Your older brother, perhaps?"

Mokuba's eyes rolled. "Everybody knows that."

Drina remembered the bodyguards and tried not to let Mokuba's rudeness faze her. "I'm getting a celebrity vibe here. I sense you're used to being recognized everywhere you go, but I assure you that's not the case here. I see your brother on a spiritual level, and he's very happy about your relationship. However, there's still some tension between you, and that tension plays a role in your question."

"Fair enough," Mokuba admitted. However, his suspicions smoldered.

Drina turned over the next card featuring a man carrying five swords and looking at two more impaled in the ground. "The Seven of Swords, reversed. You're keeping a secret from your brother. This is an obstacle for both of you. You need to talk to him, but you're afraid of how he'll react. You can't move forward until you've overcome this obstacle."

"We'll have to tell him eventually," Joan agreed.

"He's not ready to accept it," Mokuba added.

"I see. This reading is a guide to help you think through possible paths. It is ultimately up to you to make the right choice with the information you have." Drina flipped over a card with eight straight sticks across a blue sky. "The Eight of Wands. This is what brought you to your present predicament. This card symbolizes rapid change, often travel." Her eyes closed once more. "I sense that you have traveled a lot recently, but there's more. I see Mokuba's brother traveling too, and all of this travel has caused things to move very fast, creating a sense of urgency that transformed both of your lives and . . . oh my! Your brother is involved in this romance too?"

"Seriously?" Annoyance edged Mokuba's voice. "Everyone knows that. Tell us something we don't know."

Drina's eyes snapped open. "Patience. Understanding your situation is the first step to answering your questions."

Mokuba turned to Joan. "We're wasting our time here. She's only telling us what she read on the news." He rose to leave.