a HeartMate marriage!â She dramatically clasped her hands to her breasts and fluttered her lashes. âWho could ask for anything more?â
It was too good to be true. The White Flower Maidâwell, Danith wouldnât be seduced by the necklace or the man. As for the rest, the love in the cards was equaled by the threat of danger.
Danith nibbled at her lower lip. Obstaclesâthe Cave of the Dark Goddess, such a powerful card and not a good omen. It signified destructive energies all around her, and this was upsettingly mirrored by the eight of blasers, a woman caged by red blaser lightspears. Two other cards foretold peril.
She scanned each of the cards, melding them into a flowing pattern for the future. Love, a good marriage of equal partnersâshe didnât really believe in HeartMates, at least for herselfâa happy outcome, if she was courageous enough to overcome her own faults, fight for her wishes, and survive destructive energies.
Her gaze went naturally to the card in the Family placement, the position she always considered of the utmost importance. She frowned at Coll the Hazel Tree, the Crimsonnuts of Knowledge. What an odd place to find it. Usually she read the card as intuition, but now she searched her memory for alternative meanings.
Slowly it came to her. A channel of creative energy, especially in increasing potential for others, a catalyst or transformer. Now would she be the catalyst to increase the Family of others, perhaps the Clovers? Or would a catalyst appear in her own life?
âSix of stars for Prosperity, thatâs some money coming in. And the StoneMarker of Fate in Career,â Mitchella enthused on. âThe power of truth and recognition of your worth. I always said you had unplumbed depths. Well, what do you think?â
Danithâs eyes were drawn once more to the harsh countenance of the Lord of Blasers. âI want some ice cream. Cocoa.â
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When Danith returned home an hour later, a rose scent lingered in her rooms. Pansy stropped Danithâs ankles in greeting, then went to sit in the kitchen near her bowl while Danith opened the collection box. Inside was a fragrant white rose, its petals edged with the faintest of pinks, gorgeous in its simplicity. Eagerly she reached for the card. Maybe it was from Claif, though he wasnât usually a man for romantic gesturesâbut if it was, then perhaps he was willing to ignore Mitchellaâs opinion of their marriage.
The small card was bordered in gold. In elegant penmanship, it read âTâAsh.â Danith narrowed her eyes. The slime.
First he had set a seduction spell on a necklace to lure her against her will to his bed, then a heavy-handed proposition, now a measly rose. Perhaps he was interested in a common woman as a mistress before he worked himself up to the nobility for a wife.
She didnât want to be seduced and cast aside. She couldnât think of anything less appealing. Danith took intimacy seriously. Affection, passion, and love were too precious.
And she didnât want a man like TâAsh, who once moved in tough Downwind circles, and now rich noble circles. He was too different than she. Too intense. And too alone.
She wanted a man easy to love, a man who would give her many laughing children and a large family of in-laws. A man she could understand and anticipate, a man willing to vow a solid marriage. Her emotional life had been hard enough as a child; why shouldnât she want something simple now?
Pansy mewed and Danith went to the kitchen. The flower was too beautiful to throw away so Danith put it in a glisten vase. The iridescence of the metal complemented the simplicity of the white rose. It would look nice in her mainspace.
As she fed Pansy, Danith thought of Claif. She knew what she wanted, and she wanted him. She didnât care if Mitchella believed it would be a poor marriage. Danith would work hard to make a good life for both of
It was too good to be true. The White Flower Maidâwell, Danith wouldnât be seduced by the necklace or the man. As for the rest, the love in the cards was equaled by the threat of danger.
Danith nibbled at her lower lip. Obstaclesâthe Cave of the Dark Goddess, such a powerful card and not a good omen. It signified destructive energies all around her, and this was upsettingly mirrored by the eight of blasers, a woman caged by red blaser lightspears. Two other cards foretold peril.
She scanned each of the cards, melding them into a flowing pattern for the future. Love, a good marriage of equal partnersâshe didnât really believe in HeartMates, at least for herselfâa happy outcome, if she was courageous enough to overcome her own faults, fight for her wishes, and survive destructive energies.
Her gaze went naturally to the card in the Family placement, the position she always considered of the utmost importance. She frowned at Coll the Hazel Tree, the Crimsonnuts of Knowledge. What an odd place to find it. Usually she read the card as intuition, but now she searched her memory for alternative meanings.
Slowly it came to her. A channel of creative energy, especially in increasing potential for others, a catalyst or transformer. Now would she be the catalyst to increase the Family of others, perhaps the Clovers? Or would a catalyst appear in her own life?
âSix of stars for Prosperity, thatâs some money coming in. And the StoneMarker of Fate in Career,â Mitchella enthused on. âThe power of truth and recognition of your worth. I always said you had unplumbed depths. Well, what do you think?â
Danithâs eyes were drawn once more to the harsh countenance of the Lord of Blasers. âI want some ice cream. Cocoa.â
Â
Â
When Danith returned home an hour later, a rose scent lingered in her rooms. Pansy stropped Danithâs ankles in greeting, then went to sit in the kitchen near her bowl while Danith opened the collection box. Inside was a fragrant white rose, its petals edged with the faintest of pinks, gorgeous in its simplicity. Eagerly she reached for the card. Maybe it was from Claif, though he wasnât usually a man for romantic gesturesâbut if it was, then perhaps he was willing to ignore Mitchellaâs opinion of their marriage.
The small card was bordered in gold. In elegant penmanship, it read âTâAsh.â Danith narrowed her eyes. The slime.
First he had set a seduction spell on a necklace to lure her against her will to his bed, then a heavy-handed proposition, now a measly rose. Perhaps he was interested in a common woman as a mistress before he worked himself up to the nobility for a wife.
She didnât want to be seduced and cast aside. She couldnât think of anything less appealing. Danith took intimacy seriously. Affection, passion, and love were too precious.
And she didnât want a man like TâAsh, who once moved in tough Downwind circles, and now rich noble circles. He was too different than she. Too intense. And too alone.
She wanted a man easy to love, a man who would give her many laughing children and a large family of in-laws. A man she could understand and anticipate, a man willing to vow a solid marriage. Her emotional life had been hard enough as a child; why shouldnât she want something simple now?
Pansy mewed and Danith went to the kitchen. The flower was too beautiful to throw away so Danith put it in a glisten vase. The iridescence of the metal complemented the simplicity of the white rose. It would look nice in her mainspace.
As she fed Pansy, Danith thought of Claif. She knew what she wanted, and she wanted him. She didnât care if Mitchella believed it would be a poor marriage. Danith would work hard to make a good life for both of
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