Day Zero (Page 6)

Unsettled and frustrated, I return the ring to my safe, then cross to the large windows of my study. The sun has set, yet Fauna is heading to the menagerie. She’s told me her animals have been behaving strangely. She has no idea what this means, but I do.

The end is nigh. Anticipation is like fire in my veins.

I yank on my gloves and exit the castle. On my way across the grounds, a hot wind gusts over the mountain, and movement above catches my eyes. A strange light appears in the sky, filling me with expectancy.

I can sense deaths coming. Dear gods, I sense a reckoning of them.

I pull down my right glove. The rest of the Empress’s icon fades before my eyes.

And so it begins. . . .

The Fool (0)

Matthew, Gamekeeper of Old

“Crazy like a fox.”

A.k.a.: The Hand of Fate, Il Matto, Mat, Null

Powers: Foresight, astral projection, clairaudience, telepathy, dream delivery/scrying/ manipulation, memory implantation and absorption, omniscience, and other game-keeping abilities never chronicled.

Special Skills: Genetic memory. Can slow or accelerate the Arcana game. Can call a temporary “trues” (truce).

Weapons: None. If given a weapon, he will toss it away.

Tableau: A smiling young man carries a knapsack and a single white rose. Vacant gaze raised to a blinding sun, he strolls toward the edge of a cliff with a small dog nipping at his heels.

Icon: A null sign: a circle with a diagonal line through it.

Unique Arcana Characteristics: Nose will bleed if he is mentally overloaded from the game.

Before Flash: Living with his mother in the South. Enrolled in a program for autistic students.

Huntsville, Alabama

Day 0

Portions of Text Redacted _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ the Beginning is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ darkness _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ the End _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is _ __ _ __ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ two _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ He hurts _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ WORSE! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ __ Who is _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ ___ __ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ ___ the hunter _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _ __ Major Arcana _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ so strong _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Why _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ will _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ she _ _ __ _ _ not _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ __ listen _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ __ _

_ _ Beware! _ _ A fox _ _ _ __ _ __ is as it seems __

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ Foes __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ hope for hell _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ terror _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Then you’ll die _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _

_ ___ _ _ __ Crazy like a __ __ __ _ _ ___ _ _ _ knight _ _ _ ___ _ _ __ ___ _ carry _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ ___ the memory of _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ a flower _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _ I’ll give _ _ _ __ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _

__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ my only friend _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ another _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ Matthew _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _ _ __

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Future flows like _ _ _ __ _ __ _ ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ the old _ _ __ _ _ _ __ __ __ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ gods _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ __ __ _ __ Will we _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ ___ _ _ sleep forever and ever _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ at _ _ _ __ _ _ __ ___ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ __ _ _ ___ _ _ ____ the End _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _

__ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___ _ _

The Magician (I)

Finneas, Master of Illusions

“Don’t look at this hand, look at that one.”

A.k.a.: The Trickster

Powers: Illusion creation and casting. Hallucikinesis, reality distortion, conjurations, and invocations.

Special Skills: Surfing.

Weapons: None.

Tableau: A young man wearing a red robe, holds a wand skyward while pointing to the ground with his free hand. On a table before him lies a pentagram, a chalice, a sword, and a cane. A bed of roses and lilies grow at his feet, vines trailing above.

Icon: Ouroboros.

Unique Arcana Characteristics: Speaks a mysterious magician language when he conjures illusions.

Before Flash: “Problem” kid from California, sent to visit his extended family.

Backwoods, North Carolina

Day 0

“I heard you used to live in a mansion in Malibu,” the girl said.

What was this chick’s name again? I racked my drunken brain. A double-barreled name. Tammy-Something. Uh, what was she doing on the couch with me? She was Buck’s girl. “Yeah. I used to.”