Chapter 12 The Tarot Circle #2
I found myself agreeing with Aspen. But I couldn’t very well say that I didn’t believe the cards had power; otherwise, what kind of Tarot reader would that make me? Leone had mentioned The Book of Skorn. If I referenced the work, perhaps that would help me gain their favor.
“Aleric Khorvyn wrote The Book of Skorn. In his view, Tarot was a means to access the archetypal energies and universal principles that underlie the fabric of reality,” I started, recalling a copy of the book I had read in my father’s library.
“He believed that by engaging with the symbolism and imagery of the cards, individuals could gain profound insights into their spiritual journey, the nature of existence, and the forces shaping their lives.”
“I know you come from a sub-tier school,” Aspen bated with a teasing smile, “but a hypothesis usually begins with an if-then statement.”
I shot him a dagger with my eyes, but my mind was too preoccupied to reply.
“As I was saying . . . if Tarot’s powers come from engaging with these archetypal energies, then by engaging with them in a specific way—maybe even embodying them in the real world—one could strengthen their powers of foresight.
If one’s power of foresight does strengthen, then Tarot’s power is derived from these collective energies. ”
Sequoia’s excitement bubbled up and she started clapping her hands in a quick, hummingbird motion. “She’s so good,” she whispered to Aspen.
“Sounds like someone developed an experimental framework,” the Meister said. “Does anyone have suggestions for which cards Ms. Blackburne could use to test her hypothesis?”
“The Moon—that’s my favorite,” Sequoia said, smiling.
“She needs something straightforward to study. The Moon is too ambiguous. What about Eight of Coins? That one’s very literal,” Nina said.
“Coins are so material. She needs cards with spiritual meaning. The Two of Swords is an excellent choice,” Leone added.
“The Devil,” Aspen said. Everyone turned to him, eyes scrunched—even Leone.
“What? She needs a card that has a strong, unambiguous meaning. The Major Arcana card representing rebellion should be easy for Ms. Blackburne to embody.” Aspen crossed his arms with that same sly grin on his lips.
I hated how my cheeks were blooming from his attention, and I let my hair fall to the sides of my face to conceal them.
“Then I think you have a path forward, Ms. Blackburne. Is there anything else you want to discuss with the group?” the Meister asked.
“No, that’s all. Thank you,” I said, sitting back, defeated.
What the hell had I just gotten myself into?
I wanted to propose studying the lineage of Tarot using empirical methods, not tapping into its magick. How was I even supposed to do that, when I’d never done magick before?
“What deck are you going to use?” Leone asked.
“I have my own,” I said, severely wanting the attention to shift away from me.
“Your hypothesis is based on a Skorn deck. While nearly identical to the archetypal images in Tarot, the Skorn deck was penned by Khorvyn himself and imbued with his magicks,” Leone said. “You should use one of those.”
“He’s right; otherwise, it’s not a controlled experiment,” Aspen said. “And we know how much you care about that.”
“Well, I don’t have a Skorn deck,” I said.
“The Foresyth archives have it,” Nina said.
“First years aren’t allowed into the archives, and second years need explicit permission.
You’ll have to make an appeal to the Advisors Council to lend you a deck for your proposal,” the Meister said.
“Don’t look so worried; they meet monthly.
I’m sure they’ll have time to hear your proposal next week. ”
Meeting the Advisors? That sounded mortifying. I bet they would have all of Aspen’s pompous zeal and none of the Meister’s even tolerance.
“I’ve done it before; I can help you prepare. That is, if you help me with dating some materials,” Leone offered.
“Of course, I’d be happy to,” I replied, swallowing the lump in my throat.
Who were these elusive Advisors, and how was I going to survive being picked apart by them?
If I refused, I wouldn’t have a research topic, and the others would quickly realize that I was a fraud who didn’t belong here. There was no way out of this for me.
“Very well . . . Leone will help you make the appeal. Your proposal has been conditionally approved, granted that the Council will approve your access to the archives to borrow the Skorn deck.”
I sighed, sinking deeper into my chair. I had survived Circle, hadn’t upset any of the students or the Meister, but it came at the cost of paving my future with even more impediments. I hoped Leone would be good for his word and help me prepare for the Council, lest they eat me alive.
After we closed Circle, I strode back down to the library.
It was never too late to get a head start on the next day’s materials.
I had another research project to prepare for, thanks to the Meister’s interest in Norse mythology.
Besides, I needed the others to see me going to the library to prevent suspicion about my meeting with Sequoia later tonight.
I began taking the books out of my bag, stacking them on top of one another on my desk.
I stopped when I got to the first edition Book of Skorn.
“Why did you have to go and make me promise to do magick?” I muttered to it, skimming the pages I had earmarked. I flipped back to the front to check the date of publication.
My heart dropped when I came to the title page.
Not only was the book signed by Aleric Khorvyn himself, but there was a distinct marking drawn at the bottom of his signature, hand-drawn.
I traced the tail of the serpent, all the way up to the head of a lion.
It was the same symbol I had found on the back of the picture frame.
This lion serpent was what Julian had pointed to with his dead body. The Book of Skorn was undoubtedly linked to Julian’s death.