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Beneath the canvas I found a prime candidate for the cliche of the month award

Two chairs flanked a table covered with a purple cloth, which reached to the floor On top lay a deck of cards and a lump covered by black silk The lump had the distinct outline of a crystal ball

"What is it you wish?"

The fortune-teller had appeared in front of a set of multicolored draperies that separated the front of the tent from the back; I hadn&039;t even heard them swish

She&039;d re dark brown hair with only a few threads of gray She&039;d reers still sparkled with rings, and the hoops in her ears flashed despite the diht

I pulled five dollars frolanced behind me "Tie the flap"

I did as she asked When I turned, the money had disappeared and she sat behind the table "I am Edana" She waved impatiently "Sit"

I settled in a rickety card table chair, and she laid her palm faceup atop the purple cloth I stared at it, unsure of what she wanted "Give me your hand"

Hers was thin, sinewy, dark, very similar to the dreaded monkey&039;s paw I didn&039;t want to touch her any more than I&039;d wanted to touch that

"Why?" I stalled

She made an impatient sound "I am filidh, a seer I read the palms, the tarot; then ill look into the ball"

She yanked the black cloth fro above us - an oil lantern, talk about a fire hazard - reflected off the surface, and the rainbow colors of the draperies swirled at its center

"Why do you need all three?" I&039;d planned to be here five

"Everyone is different Iin your hand, the cards or the ball - perhaps a bit in each I do what I ive those who visitwithout words for ave it to her

Her skin was hot, dry, or one cool and da, sharp nail down the center of my palm and I jumped

"Hold still," she snapped

She fully cranky for soers But I guess she didn&039;t have to worry about repeat customers, since the caravan moved to a nen every week I wondered if this meant she actually told people what she saw rather than what they wanted to hear

I did a oing to see anything I&039;d come in for fun A curiosity

She traced the line that ran from just abovelife," she murmured "With the possibility of death, here" She pointed to a place where the line faded, right next to the base of my thumb

"What does that mean?"

"Youout the wishy-washiness of this statement

Her dark eyes lifted to mine "Soon"

A chill went over me "Soon" wasn&039;t wishy-washy at all

"When?"

She shrugged and returned her gaze toher nail over a tiny couplet of curved lines beneathYou like sex"

I jerked back, but she didn&039;t let go

"Although" - she pointed to a break in the lines - "you did not until recently Trauma," she murmured "But that is over now"

My eyes narrowed How did she know? Could Malachi have ?

No He wouldn&039;t

Would he?

I&039;d read about fortune-tellers having accomplices ent into whatever town they were near to learn all that they could about the people Then the supposed clairvoyants used the information to appear psychic when they wereto run and wanting to hear otten her information Curiosity won out

"What else?"

Edana bent closer, squinting, then shrugged and let go "There is nothing"

"I many die soon and I like sex That&039;s it?"

"We are not done" She picked up the cards, mixed the deck a few times, then handed them to me "You shuffle"

"How much?"

"Until you feel you are done"

While I did that, she spread a piece of navy blue velvet in front of her, sht and flat and reht sky above the mountains

"I&039;m done" I attempted to hand her the cards, but she shook her head