Are the airships in Argent
the same as those that Constance dreamt of – with the same enemy?
A Tarot reading by Madame Zora in Argent.
Significator, where you are now 10 of Coins: inheritance,
family wealth, blood ties; prosperity built up on successive generations; material
security founded on the labour of one’s ancestors; good fortune regarding a
will or dowry; family custom and tradition – the Pattern
Aspirator, where you are aiming The Moon: a crisis of faith – only intuition, not reason, can carry you
forward; a situation in which one has only one’s instincts to rely on; beauty, dreams, clear vision in the dark
Instigator, what brought you here Queen
of Wands: a woman with green hair, apparently underwater
Cryptic, hidden influences Knight of Swords: a stern knight in
black and white livery with closed visor bearing the arms Quarterly: 1st
& 4th, sable, a rose argent; 2nd
& 3rd, argent a raven sable
Culminator, where this is heading Princess
of Wands (reversed): the princess clearly has violet eyes…
Pivot, the focus The Sun: a ray of sunshine; hope, joy,
optimism; success & achievement against all odds; gaining of safe refuge
after peril; acclaim, approval and just rewards; conscious and rational
solutions to a problem.
When Madame Zora
hears Constance’s question, she admits that Argent has had occasional Fae
incursions on the eastern border with the forest of the Ardennes, but nothing
the military can’t handle. “And when the King returns all will be well.
“Mmm! Feminine cards outnumber masculine by two to one. Only
one card is reversed so the outlook is favourable – though the one reversed
card is the Princess of Wands as the Culminator…
“The Significator suggests you have very strong family
connections with Argent (or, bearing in mind your question, possibly the
intruders – but that’s ridiculous, of course).” [Constance must be aware the 10
of Coins in a spread is usually taken to represent the family and the Pattern.]
“The Moon must
refer to your dreams. However, as the Aspirator it suggests you should somehow
aim at the Moon – or, more likely, endeavour to use those abilities connected with
the Moon.
“The Instigator is
the Queen of Wands, a woman of the legendary underwater city to the north.” [It
shows a woman with green hair who must be Llewella –
the cards are being literal, it was Llewella who got
you all to Rebma, after all.]
“The Knight of
Swords as the Cryptic means he’s behind all this… Does this suggest anyone to
you? That rose is part is of Argent’s flag.” [This can only be Corwin – can he
really be sending Fae to attack Argent?]
“The Culminator is the Princess of Wands…” She trails off, then
lifts up the card and holds it next to Constance. It shows a woman with violet
eyes… “I wonder if this is you?” [It is likely that
Havelock told Constance she’s the Princess of Wands in his deck.] “If so,
everything is heading towards you… but reversed!
“Reversal may
indicate, firstly, that the person is in trouble; secondly, the person must be
avoided or, thirdly, the card represents a different person but in some way similar
to you. Of course, sometimes it means two or more of these together but,
obviously, you cannot avoid yourself.
“Lastly, the Pivot shows The Sun is the
focus – this seems to directly contradict the Aspirator as the Sun promotes
conscious and rational thought while the Moon suggests intuition and gut
feelings as a guide to decision making. But possibly the Sun is doing something
else…” (Madame Zora’s card actually depicts the Sun rising…)