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SEVEN YEARS AGO

While so beneath the beds, Tella swore her ht dusted the air as if fairies came to play whenever her ardens, and even when there wasn’t a breeze, the sheer curtains billowed around the reeted Tella with theit easy for her to iine the suite was a bewitched portal to another world

Tella’s tiny feet made no sound as she tiptoed across thick ivory carpets to her mother’s dresser Quickly, she stole a look over her shoulder and then snatched her mother’s jewelry box Slick and heavy in Tella’s hands, the box was ree; Tella liked to pretend it was also charers were dirty, they fortunately never left prints

Tella’s hters played with her dresses or tried on her fancy slippers, but she’d asked them not to touch this box, which only made it more irresistible to Tella

Scarlett could spend her afternoons daydrea shows like Caraval, but Tella liked to have real adventures

Today she pretended a wicked queen was holding a young elfin prince captive, and to save hi, Tella’s favorite piece of jewelry The h, shaped like a starburst, with sharp tips that soers But when Tella held the opal up toward the light, the stone sparked, covering the rooold, and lavender that hinted at ic curses and rebel pixie dust

Sadly, the brassy band was too large for Tella’s finger, though every tirown But this day, right as Tella slid on the ring, she noticed so else

The chandelier above her stilled as if it, too, had been caught by surprise

Tella knew every item in her mother’s jewelry case by heart: a carefully folded velvet ribbon edged in gold, bloodred scarlet earrings, a tarnished silver bottle that her el tears, an ivory locket that wouldn’t open, a jet wristlet that looked as if it belonged on the arant wrist

The only iteray sachet, which soblins away, her mother once teased It kept Tella away as well

But today, the ugly little purse flickered, drawing Tella toward it One moment it looked like a bundle of rot and s deck of cards, tied with a delicate satin ribbon Then, in a flash, it was back to the nasty pouch before it transfigured into the cards again

Abandoning her play rabbed the silky cord and lifted the deck fro

The cards were so very, very pretty Such a dark hue of nightshade they were alold flecks that sparkled in the light, and swirly strands of deep red-violet e that ic

These were nothing like the fliht her to play betting gaers tingled as she untied the ribbon and flipped over the first card

The young woman pictured reminded Tella of a captive princess Her lovely white dress was shredded, and her tear-shaped eyes were as pretty as polished sea glass, but so sad they hurt to look at Most likely because her head was caged in a rounded globe of pearls

The words The Maiden Death ritten at the bottom of the card

Tella shuddered She did not like the naes, even pearly ones Suddenly she had the feeling that herthese cards, but that didn’t stop Tella fro over another

The name at the bottom of this one was The Prince of Hearts

It showed a young les, and lips as sharp as two knife blades One hand near his pointed chin clasped the hilt of a dagger, and red tears fell fro the corner of his narrow mouth

Tella flinched as the prince’s ione, the same way the foul sachet had wavered earlier

She should have stopped then These cards were definitely not toys Yet a part of her felt as if she was meant to find them They were ination, and Tella dared to think that perhaps they would lead her on a genuine adventure

The next card felt especially warers as Tella turned it over