"You never played this before?" Celica asked. "All right, basic rules: you get cards and are trying to estimate how many of a total element is in play. Go over and lose."

"How will you know if you go over?" I asked.

"As the number increases, a person can call 'Dubium' on their turn, and you all show your cards." Jarec explained. "If the last number called is lower or equal to the number on the table, the person who called it loses. If it's higher, the last person to say a number loses."

"Sounds simple enough," I shrugged. "Let's try."

"I'm dealing and judging, so it's between you, Russel, and Celica." Jarec dealt out seven cards each to the three of us.

My hand was the Two of Swords, the Nine of Swords, the Page of Wands, the Six of Wands, the King of Cups, the Knight of Pentacles and the King of Pentacles.

"You want to start, Serafina?" Jarec asked.

"Okay…um…five swords." Very safe, but first turns weren't ones for risks, right?

Celica rolled her eyes. "Boring. Twenty Swords."

Okay, so that meant she probably had Swords or was bluffing. But even if she didn't have that many Swords, Russel probably had a few, right?

"Twenty Cups," Russel said.

Or maybe not? Or not that many? Or he had a lot of Swords and didn't want us to know?

Okay. My turn. "You can either increase the number or change the element," Jarec added after a few seconds of silence.

I nodded. "Twenty Swords."

Celica let out a laugh. "Thirty Swords."

Russel looked at his cards again. "Thirty Wands."

He didn't have any Swords.

But I had a few Wands. "Thirty-five Wands."

Celica narrowed her eyes at me. "Thirty-five Pentacles."

Okay. Either she had some, or she was bluffing for the sake of it.

"Forty Pentacles," Russel declared.

Okay, so he was confident with that one. I had a ton of Pentacles, but did they?

Eh. Screw it. "Forty-one Pentacles."

Celica was grinning. "Forty-five Pentacles."

Russel let out a breath. "Forty-Five Cups."

Decisions, decisions. Why not go for it? "Fifty Cups."

Celica was still grinning. "Dubium."

"All right." Moment of truth.

We all placed our cards on the table.

Celica had the Queen of Wands, the Seven of Pentacles, the Queen of Swords, the Six of Swords, the Ace of Cups, the Five of Cups, and the Knight of Cups.

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Russel had the Nine of Cups, the Page of Cups, the Five of Pentacles, the Eight of Pentacles, the Five of Wands, the Ace of Wands, and the Knight of Wands.

I was doing the math.

"I think Celica just lost," I announced.

"That is a lot of Cups on the table," Jarec commented, while separating out the Cups cards from the rest.

"That is a lot of face cards," Russel scoffed.

"How do you have no Swords?" Celica demanded.

"How do you have two Queens?" Russel responded.

"Fifty-two Cups total. Celica loses," Jarec announced.

"What?!" Celica shouted. I looked around to make sure no one was staring at the people who were being too loud in library. But maybe if they let us move into our Tower we would be less disruptive.

Hint hint, universe.

"Shh," I hushed her. "We don't want to get in trouble."

Celica rolled her eyes. "Deal again, I need to redeem my honor here."

Jarec collected the cards. "If the rest of you are cool with it?"

"Why not?" Russel leaned back in his chair. "Well Nightcall?"

"Sure," Fethris said as he leaned forward.

"Let's do this," I said as Jarec started dealing out cards.

My new hand was the Queen of Pentacles, the Four of Pentacles, the Nine of Swords, the Eight of Swords, the Seven of Cups, the Eight of Cups, and the Page of Cups.

No Wands.

"Celica start," Jarec said.

"Fifteen Swords," Celica said with a smirk.

Okay, so maybe she had a Sword face card? But she played aggressively, so maybe she doesn't have that many?

Fethris was next. "Fifteen Pentacles."

Probably had lots of Pentacles. I doubted Fethris was the bluffing type. If he was betting on them, he had to have them.

Russel looked at his hand and then up to me. "Thirty Pentacles."

"Good man." Celica clapped.

Russel played pretty safe last time. He probably had a face card. Maybe two judging by how much he raised the number.

"Thirty Wands," I announced. Please buy my bluff.

"Forty Wands." Celica was still grinning.

She either bought it, or thought me trying to bluff was fun. Either way worked for now.

"Forty Cups," Fethris said after a few seconds.

He didn't sound confident in that. I might have called him out, but only Russel could do that.

"Forty-Two Cups," Russel said without a second of thought.

Welp. Someone was confident. Not messing with that.

"Fifty-five Cups." More bluffing! Please work.

"Fifty-five Pentacles." Celica's grin slipped into a confident smirk.

Did that mean that was as high a number as she was willing to use? Or did she have a bunch of them? Maybe she figured someone else had them.

"Fifty-six Pentacles." Fethris sounded more sure of this one.

He definitely had Pentacles, or was very sure the rest of us did.

"Sixty Pentacles." Russel glanced up at me again.

Was he expecting me to do something? Did he want me to call him out? Sixty seemed a bit high but I wasn't sure.

"Sixty-Five Pentacles." I said.

Jarec started laughing. "You guys are very sure about this, aren't you?"

"No mind reading!" I accused. Not that he could read mine, but still.

"I'm dealer, I do what I want."

"Well I'm calling it. Dubium." Celica slapped her cards on the table.

The rest of us showed our hands.

"That's a lot of Pentacle cards." I started giggling. "I also think you just lost again."

Celica had the Ace of Pentacles, the Page of Swords, the Two of Swords, the Ten of Wands, the Four of Wands, the Three of Wands, and the Two of Wands.

Fethris had the Five of Swords, the Ace of Swords, the Five of Cups, the Nine of Pentacles, the Eight of Pentacles, the Two of Pentacles, and the Seven of Pentacles.

Russel had the Three of Pentacles, the King of Pentacles, the Page of Pentacles, King of Cups, the Knight of Wands, the Nine of Wands, the King of Wands.

"You had three Kings?" I asked Russel. "If we were playing Poker…"

"I know, right?" Russel responded.

"What in the hells is poker?" Celica asked while Jarec was totaling the cards.

"I'll teach you if we get into Dragon Tower," I promised.

"Not 'if' Serafina, 'when'." She pointed a finger at me with a very stern expression on her face.

Hopefully we'd find out soon.

Please. Please have voted 'yes'.

"Seventy-Two Pentacles. Celica loses," Jarec announced.

Celica was talking, but I couldn't hear her. I felt a sudden twinge of pain before a white envelope suddenly fell in front of me.

I picked it and flipped it over to look at the back. The handwriting looked familiar. I opened it with shaking hands. Was this about the curse?

From Healer Sealie.

An appointment has been made for you at 12:30 this Saturday with Curse Breaker Savas Filo. Please be at least ten minutes early.

I stuffed the envelope and note in a pocked of the awful pink coat.

"Are you okay?" Fethris asked.

I shook my head. "It's…about what I learned yesterday."

Celica froze. "Everything okay?"

"I have an appointment with a Curse Breaker," I said softly.

The table was dead silent.

"It's a curse?" Fethris whispered. It almost sounded like a hiss.

I nodded slowly.

"Who in the seven hells-" Russel started.

"Not sure. Maybe we'll find out Saturday," I commented.

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