It was the twenty-third day of the third month...or was it still the twenty-second?

Time was always difficult to keep track of for Arani when she had spent most of the night drinking. Of course, spending most of it in an unfinished wine cellar with no windows also did not help.

With her head swimming, Arani mingled among the other sweaty and battered patrons, buzzed off of one too many cups of ale. She talked energetically, despite her drunken slur and they even compared cuts and bruises they had earned in the ring.

Arani sported the most out of all of them.

Ten rounds undefeated. The reigning champion for the night.

Arani Lockefur felt great.

Sporting only her signature leather brassiere and a pair of woolen pants rolled up to her calves, Arani leaned her muscled bulk against the makeshift bar they had erected for the night— a painted red door propped on top of a row of barrels. The rest of the cellar was packed with a boisterous clamor of fighters and drunks alike.

Sweat trickled down strong arms as Arani moved to pull her coarse raven waves back into a messy tail. Once she had successfully fought her impossible hair down and secured them with a leather band, a tin mug sloshing full with ale hovered into view.

An absolute bear of a man held the mug up to her and gave a flirty wink. An untamable mane of fiery curls were piled atop his head in their own unruly bun.

"To the victor, her spoils!" Lon Talworth sang joyously, sporting a black eye and a broken nose himself. He hardly seemed bothered by them, but that may have been due to the alcohol already consumed.

Arani accepted the ale and patted Lon's cheek affectionately. "Your husband is going to kill you."

Lon raised his eyebrows in surprise. "James would never!"

A smile tugged at Arani's lips and she sipped her drink, sighing at the welcoming crisp flavor— sweet with a taste of apples. "No, but I'm sure you will be sleeping on the floor later."

Lon snatched the mug of ale away from Arani and chugged deeply. She quickly punched him in the arm but Lon giggled into the mug as he moved out of her reach. Amber liquid sloshed and spilled down his shirt and flecks of foam decorated his bright red beard. Lon eventually relinquished the mug when more than half of the ale had been chugged. The man let out a proud belch and Arani laughed.

"Why not bring James along next time?" Arani elbowed him playfully. "Get your man to loosen up! Perhaps we can finally get that stick outta his ass!"

Lon gave a wolfish grin. "Actually it's James that does the stickin'."

Arani gagged in disgust and batted Lon on the ear. Lon swatted back at her barking a laugh, his freckled cheeks flushed red. "Oh hush up ya brat! I don't toss a fit when you run off to sleep with every girl that bats her pretty eyes at you!"

"First of all, girls have very pretty eyes." Arani sniffed defensively. "And secondly, you're practically my brother!"

As if fate had decided to emphasize Lon's point, a young woman with a dewy face and sparkling blue eyes sauntered past with a tray of drinks. Lon hummed in appreciation at the arrival of drinks and swiped two more tins of ale while Arani found herself mentally tracing the curve of the girl's figure.

Lon chugged deeply from his mug and when he resurfaced he released a rather obnoxious exhale in satisfaction as a means to draw Arani's attention away from the passing girl's rear. He snorted, content at riling her, but his mood quickly deflated as he stared into his drink.

"Let's be honest, love," Lon laughed half-heartedly. "I think we both know I make a terrible brother."

Arani furrowed her dark brows in response. She had known the conversation would start to spiral, but this was too soon. Lon was toeing a dangerous line, and it was a line that Arani did not want to broach. (At least while sober.)

But still the name bubbled up from the darkest pits of Arani's memories no matter how hard she tried to force it down.

Cari. The name of a horrid ghost that was Lon's little sister.

A ghost that was also Arani's best friend...

Arani's skin itched from ghostly flames that she knew weren't there, but she felt them all the same— a nightmarish echo from her memories. She took a long deep drink to calm her nerves, and to drown the memories that came clawing up with her name.

Arani kept drinking, chugging until every drop was drained from the tin, and when she was done Arani exhaled just as obnoxiously as a means to mock Lon, but toward the end of her breath a very loud and unladylike belch surfaced. She felt a swell of pride when she managed to turn some heads.

But it wasn't enough to distract the bard.

"Today is your birthday." He sniffed into his mug. His round cheeks flushed beet red and eyes glassy.

Arani was determined to not talk about it. She wanted to forget it, simple as that. "Yes Lon, everyone has a birthday every once in a while...except Teal for some reason. Go home, you get terribly depressing to talk to when you're drunk."

Lon narrowed his eyes over the rim of his drink. Those grey eyes could be terrifying sometimes. "And you always run away from everything."

Arani slammed her mug down on the bar, shaking the already poorly balanced slab of wood. "Okay fine!" She snapped angrily. "You want me to admit it that badly? It's my birthday and I have somehow survived long enough to turn twenty three! But let's not forget the best part—

She curled her fists tight and kept them by her sides, desperately fighting the urge to let them talk for her. "Because we both know in a few weeks it will be her birthday. And remember what happened on her birthday?"

"Arani—

Thankfully the people around them were too drunk to focus on their heated conversation for long.

"She killed your father." Arani spat. Her words felt like venom as Lon flinched back and sagged. It was an awful thing to say. Arani felt as if it would have been kinder to strike him on the jaw, but she was worked up now and it would take a lot to calm the fury.

Lon stood there silently, eyes wet and welled with tears.

For as long as Arani had known him, he had always been a crybaby. She almost felt bad, but she was more determined to stew drunkenly in her anger—Arani thought she deserved that much.

Lon opened his mouth to speak, but Arani shouldered past the man, doing her best to weave through the crowd and put as much distance between them as she could. She didn't want to hear it.

Where the hell was Farren?

She gazed about the dimly lit cellar irritably, narrowing her green eyes as she tried to search for a tall head of blonde hair.

No doubt he scurried off with some prize for the night, Arani thought sourly.

The crowd's energy suddenly picked up and Arani found herself getting squished between bodies as everyone surged forward excitedly— towards the ring. She managed to muscle and elbow her way through as voices picked up. A few eyes swept towards her in anticipation.

"Someone's in the ring! Looks like we got another fight!"

"Good." Arani growled. She could feel a smirk tugging her lips into a toothy grin— a wolf baring her teeth. Anticipation burned in her belly as a second wind kicked through her. This was what she needed.

[https://www.artstation.com/artwork/GaEynW]

Arani stomped toward the "ring", which was only a frayed rope tossed lazily in the dirt, and the crowd parted for her.

In the center of the ring stood a woman Arani had never seen before, and she faltered at her beauty— a tall and slender creature with silver hair and golden eyes. Her skin, half a shade lighter than Arani's, glistened warmly in the low lantern lights of the cellar.

Outside of the ring, two strangers shadowed the woman. The first, a short man with broad shoulders and the richest and darkest skin Arani had ever seen. The only features she could make out from under the large hood he wore was a neatly trimmed beard and the beginnings of a wicked scar. The second man loomed over the first, tall and lanky. His sickly pale torso was exposed for all to see as he wore nothing but a pair of patched leather pants and a dirty old boots. He grinned hungrily at Arani, dark eyes glittering as he ran a boney hand through his fluffy black hair.

A hush fell over the crowd as Arani stepped bare-footed into the ring. The packed dirt felt cool beneath her feet.

The silver-haired beauty regarded her coyly and unwrapped the plum colored shawl draped around her shoulders. Much like Arani, she bared her midriff, wearing only a colorfully embroidered brassiere and a pair of soft green pants that hugged her legs tight. "Is this open for anyone to play?"

She spoke with a practiced Parithean accent. Her golden eyes practically burned through Arani.

But Arani steeled herself and rolled her shoulders, joints popping. "It is. But you'll be playing with me."

The woman laughed, the back of her hand ghosting over her red lips and laugh lines creased her smooth skin.

Arani shifted her weight onto the balls of her feet and brought her fists forward to guard her center.

"Um! Excuse me!!" A haughty voice piped up.

Ivory boots decorated with gold filigree quickly danced into the ring and Arani found herself face to face with a pouty Teal Melbette. Dark natural coils bounced atop his head and gold earrings dangled from pointed ears as Teal tossed his nose up in full offense. "How dare you!"

Arani blinked down at her friend, fully caught off guard. "How dare I?"

"Truly, I feel betrayed, Arani!" Teal chastised loudly. He scowled up at her— a disappointed mother as a long dark tail twitched behind him in agitation. "You think you can just waltz around and pick a fight whenever you feel like it? There are rules you know! I'm the one who organizes these wonderful tournaments for you all! I should be the first person in the ring to introduce my favorite champion and best friend!"

Hanging heavy against his belt, a fat purse of coins jingled as he walked and gestured grandly.

Arani rolled her eyes. "Of course. How absolutely thoughtless of me."

Arani's opponent laughed behind her hand again, eyes twinkling in amusement. It made Arani's ears burn with embarrassment.

But either way, Teal accepted Arani's feign of humility and nodded in approval. He turned on his heel, sights now on the newcomers that stood in his precious ring. He gauged them with a critical eye. "And here's another offense! I make it my business to know everyone here, and I don't have a name to your gorgeous face."

The silver-haired woman practically preened at the comment.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Lily." She said softly. She held out a gloved hand for Teal to take in his own slender ones. "And my companions are Niks and Scott."

A playful smile danced across her lips when the hooded man behind her shuffled and muttered his irritance in a foreign tongue. The pale man next to him snorted and elbowed his shorter friend.

"My companions and I tend to drift into places we find interesting, and it seems we have found an interesting place," Lily reached down with a gloved hand and tugged experimentally at his tail, running her fingers down the slim velvety skin and to the curly black tuft at the very tip.

Teal chuckled and took the hand holding his tail with a small bow. "I'm half elf if that answers your question, love."

Lily blushed, as if suddenly aware that her actions would have been perceived as rude and her cheeks darkened from embarrassment. "I hope our presence here does not offend you."

Teal gave a tender kiss across the woman's gloved knuckles and smiled. "A creature as beautiful as you could never offend me."

He gave a quick wink and danced back into the center of the ring, sweeping his arms wide. "Now! Let's get this fight started!"

The crowd roared excitedly, banging their goblets and tins.

Arani's whole body itched with heat, and a nervous twitch was finding its way into her hand.

Lily leveled a look at her knowingly. Her words were almost mockingly honeyed. "I promise you won't hurt me."

Arani swallowed hard. The slender woman was too beautiful and she herself felt too sweaty.

"Our defending champion, our strong-armed she-wolf of the Dragon's Den! Arani Lockefur!" Teal boasted loudly to the crowd. The spectators cheered loudly for their hometown fighter, lifting their drinks up and hooting and chanting Arani's name with unwavering drunken loyalty.

Arani couldn't help the swell of energy that rushed through her at their excitement.

Teal twirled gracefully on his heel, soaking up the attention that was focused on them. His voice melodious. "The she-wolf versus the mysterious beauty!"

In a flash, Teal was out of the ring, his coin purse already in his hands and open as the poor drunk saps placed their bets.

Unfortunately for Arani, she found herself on the ground before the first coin dropped into Teal's purse. Lily stood over her, a slender foot planted firmly on Arani's breastbone.

A hush of "oohs" rushed through the crowd.

"A she-wolf, hmm?" Lily feigned a yawn behind her hand. "One would assume the nickname to be almost mocking. Aren't wolves supposed to be swift?"

Arani growled and lashed a foot out to hook behind the woman's legs, but Lily danced away.

It was enough for Arani to quickly roll to her feet and take up stance once again. The crowd cheered loudly— thankful that their money wasn't yet lost.

"It's just what everyone calls me." Arani snapped back annoyed.

Lily pursed her lips in thought. "It doesn't suit you."

Arani grit her teeth and lunged forward, no thought; all reflex. She aimed to strike Lily's diaphragm with a fist, but Lily pivoted, her movements water, and she once again danced away from Arani.

But stubborn Arani kept up the attack, and Lily continued to avoid her.

Soon their fight grew into a dance.

Left hook. Right hook. Twirl. Duck. A graceful slide (impressed "ooh's" and "aah's" from the crowd). The two of them were expert dancers, but Lily was proving to be far too fast.

The silvery-haired beauty was barely breaking a sweat, and taking great effort to dodge Arani's attacks, rather than strike.

"And I thought this was going to be fun!" Lily pouted. Her gold eyes glittered playfully as she skipped back a few steps.

Teal howled in frustration as he grabbed fistfuls of his own curls.

Arani's ears started to burn hot again. How the hell was she supposed to catch water? She narrowed her eyes at her opponent, thinking and mentally demanding for an answer to summon itself forth. She bit the inside of her cheek when it did not.

Lily swayed her hips rhythmically in a loose figure eight, shifting her weight from one leg to the other— a dance to music only she could hear.

Possibly it was the song of Arani's humiliating defeat.

Bitch.

Arani leapt forward once again, moving faster than rational thought. With a curled fist she swung and watched as Lily began to skirt left.

A racing energy uncoiled in Arani's belly and electrified her.

There!

She quickly loosened her fists and seized her slippery foe with both hands.

A sharp gasp parted Lily's lips as her usually soft, fluid frame went rigid the moment Arani's hot rough hands grappled tight around her arms.

Together they spun, ankles catching, and the hard dirt floor rushed up to meet them.

An abrasive curse was heard from the pale man, Niks.

Lily writhed wildly beneath Arani as she pinned the smaller woman down. The beauty was gone now. Gold eyes were wide, and a desperate snarl clawed out of her throat. Her eyes locked with Arani, and just as quickly as Lily would have danced away from her strikes, her expression shifted almost fluidly.

First anger and desperation, then her brows pinched together and her eyes became glassy. Her lip quivered as she sucked in a shallow breath.

Alarmed, Arani eased her weight off the woman. "I'm sorry." She found herself saying, but didn't understand why she was saying it.

But again, just as quick—just as fluid.

Slender hands threaded into Arani's coarse waves and a weight pulled her down into the warmth of Lily's sweet lips.

Arani's thoughts quickly stuttered to a grinding halt.

The drunken spectators hushed, save for an expected wolf whistle, followed by a second and a gaggle of hoots.

And then almost sheepishly, a muffled, "So who won?"

An unsteady rumble picked up through the room as the crowd debated among themselves.

Lily pulled away, leaving Arani's lips cold and wanting. Almost shamefully, she dipped forward for more, but a gloved hand met her lips instead. Golden eyes leered up at her owlishly.

"We must speak." Lily whispered in a ragged breath. "What I have seen within you...this cannot be ignored."

A familiar dark feeling churned deep in Arani's gut. It was a feeling that reminded Arani of—

Eyes as hot and red as burning coals seared through her mind and Arani immediately leapt off of Lily as if the woman herself had burned her.

Confusion grumbled through the cellar and Teal was doing his best to keep the drunks at bay. He slapped at hands that made for his precious purse. "No! This is tournament winnings now! No refunds!"

"Nobody won ya pointy-eared bastard!" A heavy woman called out.

With his fingers, Teal gave a sharp whistle. "Rih! Come fetch, baby!"

A lanky black cat came darting out of the shadows and quickly snatched up the coin purse that Teal dropped down to the creature before disappearing between the legs of the restless crowd.

Lily rolled to her feet in one swift motion and took Arani by the hand, leading her off to the makeshift bar; now mostly abandoned. Lily's two companions shadowed them closely.

The sweat on Arani's skin quickly grew cold as a familiar fear took root in the pit of her stomach. It was a fear that filled Arani's nose with the memory of burning corpses.

"My bag." Lily commanded. She held her hand aloft expectantly as she perched on a nearby barrel.

"Oi, what didja see, luv?" The pale man whispered tensely. His long limbs were stiff as he nearly bent in half to lean on the painted red door.

The dark man shouldered past him silently and dropped a small woven satchel into Lily's waiting hand.

"Go get yourself a drink, Niks." Lily told the pale man flatly. She began to rifle through her bag. Small colorful beads that dangled from rough seams clacked loudly against one another.

"But—

Before Niks could snap back, the second man, Scott as he was called, yanked Niks back and carried him off into the buzzing crowd.

Once the two men were out of earshot, Lily patted a stool next to her at the bar. "Sit."

Arani's jaw clenched tight. "You and your friends need to leave."

Lily produced an object wrapped loosely in a plain black cloth. "My companions and I tend to drift into places that catch our interest."

She produced a deck of painted cards from the black cloth and set to work shuffling them.

Stiffly, Arani sat next to her and watched the other woman's hands work. "And what do you find interesting about this place."

Lily pursed her lips, but her eyes stayed on her cards. "You."

The fear in Arani's gut twisted tighter. Everything screamed for her to run, but she was rooted in place as she watched the cards.

"I painted these myself." Lily said almost too casually. She tossed a lock of silver hair out of her face.

The cards themselves, like the cloth they were swaddled in, were plain black. No designs or embellishments decorated their faces. It was a startling difference compared to their owner, a woman swathed in bright colors and patterns. The cards were like sharply cut shadows in her slender hands.

Shf. Shf. Shf. Shf. Shf.

Crisp and concise, the sound of the cards whispering against one another settled over the rumbling sounds of a tired and mostly drunken cellar.

Their whisper settled inside Arani, scraping against her bones— ticking away like the seconds on a clock.

Lily chatted idly. Her tone was pleasant enough, but something heavy sat just beyond her eyes.

"Such a pleasant little town you have here. Can we even call it a town yet?" She chuckled to herself. "You only have one finished building standing, perhaps it is more of a settlement? Are you refugees? Niks, Scott, and I, we have traveled all over the world and we tend to have a keen eye—

"Just shut up." Arani snapped. Irritation was bubbling up, and her skin kept itching as if she was over a hot stove. She wanted to run. Arani's muscles were coiled tight despite her fatigue, ready to spring up, ready to run— to fight.

But...

Lily's eyes flashed as she regarded Arani silently. Goddamn those eerie eyes. Finally her hands stilled and she ceased shuffling.

Arani's limbs now felt like dead weight.

"Niks, Scott, and I," Lily continued. Her tone remained pleasant, but there was a stiff practice to how she spoke. "We have traveled all over the world, and it has allowed me to see many things."

As she spoke, Lily spread the black cloth between them and on it she placed the cards.

The world around them seemed to fall still. Or perhaps it was the ale finally unhinging Arani's mind.

Oh, how she wished it was the ale...

But unfortunately, her fight with Lily had knocked the sobriety back into her.

A slender finger tapped at the first card on top of the deck, and Arani's heart fluttered as if it had been tapped itself.

"I have seen many things." Lily repeated quietly. "Things that I have allowed to be, but..."

She flipped the card and a flash of painted colors struck out beneath the plain black faces.

"Tell me your story, Arani Lockefur."

Arani's heart constricted tight in her chest.

Contained within the borders of the tarot card, precise brushstrokes full of color and motion told a story. A maiden stood at the bow of a ship, her back facing Arani, and like Arani, her skin was dark and warmed by the sun. A curtain of inky black hair billowed out with the wind and concealed her face. She looked out to the horizon where harsh red embers consumed the skyline. Black smoke mingled with puffy white clouds. And by the maiden's feet, ornate gold chalices were spilled over, only two remained upright in a bag stuffed full of glittering treasure.

Lily hummed thoughtfully. "Tragedy casts a heavy shadow on your past, and you have been running from it."

Arani found herself capable of shrugging her shoulders after a shaky breath of air. It allowed her to retreat into an aloof state; a practice she had learned from the half-elf Teal Melbette.

"Look around you." Arani spoke casually, trying to mask the anxiety that gripped at her heart. "Every soul living on this patch of dirt is running from something tragic."

"We must all stop running at some point." Lily remarked. She flipped a second card and pursed her lips.

"Death."

A black unicorn stood ominously in a pale forest. Skewered on its twisted horn, a fiery bird. Boney white brambles knotted and clawed at its dark hooves.

"Your shadow is catching up to you." Lily murmured, eyes fixated on Arani.

A red hot glare burned through every mental block Arani tried to put up in order to push those memories down.

"It circles your patch of dirt."

Arani wanted to retort, to yell and spurn this crazy woman, but her tongue sat dead in her mouth.

Lily flipped a third card.

The heat sparked by frightening memories quickly died and a terrible cold spiked within her gut.

A blanch tower crumbled under a spiraling storm of angry flames and shadows. Standing atop the tower were two girls, while small in detail, Arani couldn't help but notice one of the girls bore a startling likeness to herself. And the other girl...

Hair like fire.

Cari.

Lily looked faint. "This calamity...you cannot avoid it. Paths will cross and the hunt will begin."

A solid knot raised into Arani's throat. It hurt to speak. "Did she send you?"

Gold eyes continued to bore into Arani. More intense than the ones that were like burning coals. "No one sends me. I go where I have dreamed, and I have dreamed of you and a girl."

Arani gripped the fabric of her pants tightly. "This is fucking nonsense!"

"It may be fucking nonsense to you, but I am never wrong." Lily snapped. "I wish I could be wrong, but the moment you had grabbed me, I had seen the same visions that have plagued my dreams for years."

She drew a fourth card, regarded it silently, and placed it across the other three cards. Unlike the others, no painted scene greeted Arani's eyes.

Plain black, like the backside, with the exception of a couple of words scrawled hastily with graphite.

The Fool.

Arani found her mind stumbling. "What does that mean?"

"The source of this dark storm racing toward us."

"Cari?" The name almost burned on Arani's tongue.

"I...do not know."

Arani blinked. "You don't know? You said you had dreamed all of this! Who is the fool??"

Lily parted her lips to speak, but the cellar door burst open with a violent clatter and a harsh blinding light filled the once dark space.

Chaos erupted amongst the crowd.