“Hustlers and hard workers, they tend to be drawn to grounded nature. They’re a touch overly practical and transactional if you ask me, but to their credit, they believe in healing the ills of the world with physical magic, namely science.”

My eyes slide to Empress Amelia. Predictably, she lights up at this.

“Does psychology count there?” she asks.

“Indeed,” Lady Azure says. “My own husband is drawn there, as a therapist. Though I’d say Seidon here belongs with the Sworn, rational and commanding.”

SWORDS: Air. White. South. Autumn. // Gemini. Libra. Aquarius.

Rational. Logic. Warrior. Planning. Analysis. Clarity. Change.

“If Carson ever sorted an actual Sworn, I never heard of them. Grounded in reality and lifted by mindfulness, they are the monks on mountaintops. Thought to be lions of leadership, they are rumored to be some kind of ‘Perilluminati.’ Personally, I believe they’re an ideal Carson devised, one that can never be fulfilled.”

“That’s actually awesome,” Anwar says.

Lady Azure frowns in return. “Perhaps. But of course, I’m most partial to the Coupled, emotional and loving.”

CUPS: Water. Blue. West. Winter. // Cancer. Scorpio. Pisces.

Emotional. Love. Relationships. Intuition. Connection. Tides.

“Valuing relationships above all else and drawn to bodies of water, we consider ourselves lilies, fronds floating on ponds, flowing with the tides. We are the most organized Corner, partially because of the value we place in human connection. Though if I’m honest, it’s mostly because of my efforts. I organize meetings here every month, to carry on my Corner of Carson’s tradition.”

Hearing all this, half of me thinks it’s fascinating. Then the other half thinks it’s completely indulgent, especially the bits using Perilli’s name.

“For a secretive organization, you sure do like explaining,” Cleo says, smiling sweetly at Lady Azure.

“Well, my dear, as far as I’m concerned, possession of that deck entitles you to all the knowledge I have,” Lady Azure responds. “I’d offer to do a Perillian reading to sort you all into Corners, but you’ve been in possession of Carson’s final deck all this time. The power of the cards have likely already imbued you all.”

My mind churns. As fascinating as this discussion is, we need to get back to the central question of this unraveling mystery: Why did Perilli’s final deck really end up in our hands?

Something tells me that if Lady Azure has deeper answers, pulling them out of her might require a more subtle touch. So I need to dress this question up with a hook she can’t resist.

“I believe the tarot—and especially Perilli’s deck—does hold symbolic power we don’t yet understand,” I begin. “But why do you think this deck was sent to empower us?”

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“I think tarot cards hold only the power we decide to invest in them, subconsciously or willfully,” I begin. “Which means this deck was sent to us with intention?”