The Hierophant (Book 1 in The Arcana Series) by Madeline Claire Franklin Read Free Book Online

had questions about—it’s been going on for a long time. And it’s coming to a head soon. You have a lot of concerns about what you think it will mean for you, but you have to keep an open mind. You should remember to follow your heart, not your head. And…also, remember: some things happen for a reason.”
    I venture a glance across the table to see his expression. He’s considering it all, rather seriously.
    “So, did I pass?” I wonder, smile curling at the corners of my mouth, because if I have confidence in myself about any one thing, it’s my ability to read the cards.
    Trebor’s eyes meet mine. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” He smiles a crooked smile that, for some reason, I feel is more of a personal declaration than punctuation to a smart remark.
    “So what was your question?” Kyla asks.
    “Kyla...” I raise my eyebrows at her. She knows better than to ask that—the querent’s question should only be revealed if he decides to share it.
    Trebor shrugs, eyes unwavering, still smiling. “I was thinking about a rather important decision I made recently.”
    “Wait,” Kyla says. “He still has to pick a significator card. You always have me pick one.” She looks at Trebor. “It represents you, the querent.”
    Trebor raises an eyebrow, still watching me.
    I realize I’ve been staring back. Should I look away? What’s weirder, to keep staring, or to admit how uncomfortable I am under his scrutiny?
    Fake it till you make it , I think, and refuse to back down.
    “Of course. Kyla’s right,” I say. I reach blindly for the deck we pulled from and spread out the remaining cards. “Go ahead, pick one.”
    Trebor reaches blindly too, considering the cards with his fingertips instead of his eyes. He picks one, slides it out.
    When I turn it over and see, from the corner of my eye, which card he’s drawn, I can’t help but break my gaze.
    The Hierophant looks up at us, dressed in red, seated on his throne, adorned with gold. I can’t help but think of my own reading last night, and I feel a shiver move through my spine, like sparks crackling down a fuse. I’m trying not to let the memory of Kyla’s reading influence this one, when I notice two things that didn’t stick out to me before: the scrolls of the Torah behind the Hierophant’s throne, and the hint of chain mail glistening at his throat.
    “You’re a teacher,” I tell him, but do not repeat the crazy words that enter into my head right after: A holy warrior. “Are you religious?”
    He shrugs, but his eyes are so intense I can’t believe the casual nature of the gesture. “ Spiritual might be more accurate. What my people—my family—lacked in dogma, they more than made up for in blind faith.”
    Your people? I wonder.
    “But you’re not blind,” I see, and find myself smiling as a thought forms in the back of my head. I tap the card, invigoration spreading through me as the rush of a successful reading comes to a head. “This is your purpose. You’re meant to spread truth, and open the eyes of those who follow blindly.”
    The bell rings, making Kyla jump and pulling me out of my trance. I feel myself slip back, the urgency in my blood sated by the exertion.
    Trebor looks between the cards and me, considering, and still smiling. “Thank you, Ana. This has been enlightening.”
    I gather my cards and smile back. I don’t look him in the eye this time. I’m not ready for that snare again, just yet.
    Kyla and I stand and say goodbye to the new kid, heading off to our respective classes, when suddenly her eyes light up in a sinister way.
    “Hey, Trebor,” she calls back just before we’re out the door. “See you at the party tomorrow tonight?”
    I look over my shoulder to see his response, some part of me hoping he says yes, but all the other parts dreading Kyla’s machinations.
    Andy walks up to him, elbows him and whispers something in his ear—whatever it is, it makes Trebor smile.
    “Of course,” he