The Wheel of Fate Turns [Tarot Hierarchy] Closed to Ray

[Cards of Fate]

The waves gently beat against the shore of Krosig, an island long forgotten by cartographers and historians. The sun had just begun to rise over the abandoned island as the Hierophant took his morning tea in the ruins of a small coastal village. The wind was warm and blowing out of the east with the rising sun. The wind played with his dirty blonde hair as he sat in a stone pavilion right on the beach, book in hand and one leg propped up. The maps in the Library of Khal'Jaren, the Thayne of knowledge, had been a great help to the scholar in his endeavor to find more ruins to explore. This island had been the proverbial jackpot, so far away from anything of note that it had never been discovered by any others, and in fact seemed borderline untouched. The island had vexed him in that it created more questions than it answered. For starters all of the buildings showed little sign of wear, and not a single body or mass grave had been found. The islands inhabitants had simply...vanished.

"Where is Khal'Jaren when you need him?" Vincent found himself grumbling between sips of tea. The Thayne had been appearing to him recently, whispering in his ear, guiding him in his studies. However, others could not see him, leading either Vince, or his handlers, to think he was crazy. He was however, the Hierophant of the Tarot Hierarchy, and that afforded him the right to be crazy. The secret society served the purpose of investigating and discovering remnants and artifacts dating back to the age of the Eternal Tap and making sure they did not fall into the wrong hands. The ever wise seer Leona Stevvains had deemed Vincent to be her Hierophant, she had seen his future and told him of his fate long before he had even studied a single book in Althanas. Now he was a world class scholar no less than a year into his prolonged stay in this world. He had partaken in more than his fair share of adventures during that time, and memories of home were beginning to be overwritten.

He no longer missed his apartment back in Dallas, or his beat up piece of shit car. When he thought of home the image of a library came to mind, where he had a small bedroll tucked away in the corner for long nights of studying. When thinking of family he thought of his best friend Ioder the angel, his boss Leona, and the mercenary Tobias Stalt. Life on Althanas was good, and Vincent felt needed here.

A large horn blast interrupted his thoughts. The mornings shipment was coming in bringing fresh faces and supplies to help with the investigation and it was Vincent's job to greet them. Setting his tea down he grimaced as he moved his propped up left leg off of the pedestal it was resting on and stretched it. His muscles complained as hey stretched it slightly before setting it on the ground. Gritting his teeth he braced both of his hands on the table before him and raised himself into a standing position.

"Hiero, my cane please?" he asked looking up. A nine foot tall caricature of a "man" approached him cane in hand. His golden skin glowed in the sunlight as his green robes fluttered with the breeze. His silver hair and beard framed a face with no distinguishable features aside a large hooked nose and scarlet eyes. As the "man" finally reached Vincent he knelt and handing a simple ornate cane made of mohangany with an owls head carved into the handle on the top.

"Your knee bothering you Vinnie?" the man asked in a deep baritone.

"It's getting better..." Vincent replied, "Thank you Hiero."

"No thanks are needed..." Hiero replied. "I am the Hierophant, you are the Hierophant. I am your advisor in these troubled times in your life."

"Thank you my freind..." Vincent replied as the Hierophant rose to full height. "Come, walk with me while we greet the next shipment."

"Even though you are the only one who can see me?" the Hierophant asked curiously.

"Someone special is on that ship, and I have a hunch about her..." Vincent replied cryptically as he began to walk with a slight limp as he placed a great deal of his weight on his cane.

"Ah..." The Hierophant breathed, "You've mastered the art of mimicking your boss then?"

"Questions, Hiero, Questions." Vincent replied as the both began to grin at their joke.

[Rayleigh]

The small ship skidded across the waves, bouncing like a skipping stone. A single mage stood at the helm, arms outstretched, shimmering light spilling from his fingertips. With his aid, the vessel traveled at nearly three times the speed across the choppy water, his magic filling the white sails to capacity. This delighted the crew of half a dozen men, all of whom were busy prepping the shipment for delivery. The final stop of the day was a nearly forgotten island, one which had remained in undisturbed slumber for many years Shipments to those shores had only begun recently, when a scholar from a far away land had set up camp there. One final delivery, and then the crew could return home; nearly everyone was in a fantastic mood.

The exception stood at the ship's edge, the salty wind assaulting her senses as cold water peppered her bare skin. She gripped the rough wooden railing tightly, splinters digging into her palms, knuckles as white as the fluttering sails overhead. Emerald eyes were closed tightly, though it did little to settle her rolling stomach. Her small frame rocked as the ship crested each wave, and every time it crashed back down, she found herself regretting the decision to take the trip at all.

“How are you, miss?” The low voice came from the mage, barely audible over the scream of the wind. When she finally looked to him, he was smiling. With no break in his magic, he added, “you look a bit green.” He, on the other hand, was a picture of ease. Black and silver robes fluttered about his tall, thin frame. The man’s arms moved gracefully through a practiced routine, and though he had been casting the same spell for quite some time, he demonstrated no signs of exhaustion. His blue-gray eyes danced with laughter, and when she realized he was not at all concerned with her well-being, she scowled.

"I hate mages," Ray grumbled, turning away from him. The wind tore the words from her lips the moment she released them, but she would not have been too bothered if the magic user had heard her. "I hate mages, and I hate ships."

Thankfully, the mechanic was only required to endure ten more minutes of seasickness and attention from the silver-tongued man. As the boat slowed to dock, Rayleigh bolted toward the nearest exit. The gangplank had hardly been secured when, in a graceless tangle of arms and legs, she leapt to the safety of the solid ground.

"Miss Aston?" This time, the speaker was female. The crew member offered Ray a polite nod, then pointed up the beach. "I was asked to direct you further inland. Just follow this path."

"Thank you." The stranger peeled off to attend to other things, leaving Rayleigh to traverse the uneven sands of the beach on her own. Her boots slipped awkwardly over the fine pieces of rock and shell, tossing her already trembling body back and forth, and causing her to regret making the trip for the upteenth time that day.

More than anything, Ray had hoped to impress Leona, the leader of the Tarot Hierarchy. She had recently become a member, and when Stevvains had tasked her with doing a bit of fieldwork, the Aleraran had agreed without hesitation. Unfortunately, she had not thought to ask what the job entailed, or what means of transportation would be involved. Had she known she would be sailing, perhaps she would have declined.

"Rayleigh!"

The voice stopped her dead in her tracks. The innocent recognition that washed over her was almost immediately replaced with white-hot anger, as her cheeks flushed and her emerald eyes became narrow slits. Vincent.

"Are you kidding me?" The woman cried. "Are you the one who set up this job, and called me here? You have some nerve."

The girl paused only briefly, to catch her breath, and address the enormous man who stood beside the scholar. "Sorry to interupt, but I have a bone to pick with your buddy." When the anger subsided, she would gawk at the sheer size of the stranger, and wonder where exactly he hailed from. But in the heat of the moment, all she could do was continue to drill her fellow Tarot Hierarchy member.

"How could you have sent me to that excavation site? Did you know about the demon all along? Is that why you sent me, so I would help release him?" The crazed brunette threw her arms out wide, voice cracking, as she shrilled once more, "how could you?"

Vincent was entirely unprepared for the onslaught; all he could manage to do was lean on his cane, mouth opening and closing helplessly, as his honored guest verbally assaulted him.

"I almost died, Vincent. A lot of people did die! And many more probably will, because of what I did. Because of what you made me do."

[Cards of Fate]

Vincent stopped mid step, stunned by her reaction. Her words droned on in the background as he turned to his supposedly invisible companion. All around them dock workers were walking past the trio, some gawking at the woman barking at their superior. Not a single one was paying any heed to the nine foot tall golden giant in olive robes. In fact had Rayleigh been paying any attention she would have noticed some people step through him.

“She…can see me?” The giant asked cocking his head to one side. A subtle sea breeze filled the air playing with the scholar’s hair. Dockworkers continued to walk past with barrels of mead, boxes of apples, and buckets of salted fish as they worked tirelessly to unload their cargo.

“It appears she can…” Vincent muttered rubbing his chin as he turned back to his rather grumpy guest. “Excuse me.” he paused interrupting her torrent of shouts. “Did you just say there was a demon in those ruins?” he continued incredulously. “Like what type? Was he spiky or had horns or…?”

“Yes there was a Demon!” Ray growled, “And I got sucked into accidentally freeing him because of you!” she continued stamping her foot. Her entire body tensed up as she debated whether or not to punch him for his rather lackluster reaction. “And what you do you mean I can see him? He’s nine feet tall and has a really strange skin tone!”

“Holy shit I had no clue there was Demon there, just some really old ruins that had shown signs of having magical artifacts in it that needed to be recovered. Nothing about it seemed to scream Demon when I was there the month before…” Vincent said running a hand through his blonde hair exasperated. “If I knew it was dangerous I wouldn’t have sent you there for your first mission!”

“Well you did jerk!” she spat glaring at him. Her relationship with the scholar was tenuous at best, he had been the catalyst for her adventures, a chance encounter with him and his mysterious ball of gears that had sparked a vision in her. While he had seemed rude at first, it seemed more and more like he had bad people skills. As time had gone on he had surprised her with a notebook of knowledge on the world, something she had been desperately craving.

“Vincent perhaps you should tell her that most people can’t see me before she gets confused…” the Hierophant chimed while bowing. “I am the Hierophant, the embodiment of The Hierophant Arcana from Leona’s deck of fate. I am bound to Vincent and serve as his guide through his tenure as said Arcana.”

[Rayleigh]

Silence enveloped the threesome. All around them, sound still carried on the salty ocean breeze. Long island grasses bowed gracefully, and the leaves of nearby palm trees provided an equally soothing accompaniment. The familiar clunks, creaks, and groans of a docked ship mingled with the muffled voices of those aboard it. And below all other noises, like a steady beat of a drum, the eternal lapping of the blue-green ocean provided the necessary rhythm. The three individuals who stood on the boardwalk, however, did not say a word. The scholar still gaped, floored by the realization that he was not the only one who could see the Hierophant. The mechanic's anger lines had lightened, but her jade eyes still sent daggers in Vincent's direction. And the nine-foot giant waited patiently for Rayleigh's response.

Finally, the brunette tore her deathly glare from Vincent to address the Hierophant. Her patience was growing thin, and exhaustion and the miserable ship ride were as much to blame as the scholar's past actions. Her tone was strained as she said simply, "nice to meet you." Then, "why can I see you?"

The enormous being cast a sideways glance towards Vincent, who shrugged. Returning his attention to Ray once more, he answered, "I am afraid that I do not know the answer to that, Miss Rayleigh."

"So you know nothing then?" came Ray's sharp retort. "Sounds like you know as much as Vinny does."

The intellectual's face fell at her insult, lips curling downward, gaze dropping to his boots. Ray observed this transformation without speaking. A moment passed. Finally, she heaved a heavy sigh. "Sorry. I'm just tired."

"Its alright," Vincent replied, in a voice that revealed it was not, in fact, alright. But he motioned for her to follow him nonetheless, slowly hobbling back up the rough wooden path. "Come this way. I'll show you where you can rest for a bit."

[Cards of Fate]

Her words bit like the sharp sting of the arrow that had crippled him. His eyes dropped to the boardwalk as his fingers clenched tightly around the wooden owl head the formed the handle of his cane. “It’s alright…” he muttered as he trembled slightly. It didn’t take a supernatural talent to know the truth to tell he was lying.

He turned to limp away, to guide her to her place of dwelling for the duration of her trip. His knee throbbed with each step, pain shot up his spine causing him to hiss. The hierophant’s emotionless gaze wandered from Rayleigh to Vincent as he shortened his stride to keep from overtaking the two.

“As you can see…” Vincent grumbled as he gestured with his free hand around them. “We’re in the village proper.” They left the dock and entered a roughly paved walkway. Stalks of grass poked up through cracks, patches of moss painted the pathway a small lichen rainbow. The structures seemed to resemble small huts made of stone, entrances marked with ornate lizard creatures rearing their heads. Aside from patches of moss and the occasional web of cracks along various structures, nothing seemed damaged.

“Nothing shows any sign of its age. Not a pillar has crumbled, nor a statue smashed. You would take one look at this place and think that it was one hundred years old tops. Not the thousands it is.” Scowling Vincent turned to Ray as he gestured to a building to their left. “This building will serve as you abode for the duration of your stay here.” His thoughts were scattered, too many thoughts to process at once, too many memories flooding through his mind.

“Thank you.” Ray nodded smiling slightly. She could practically feel the pain of each step Vincent took as he guided her to this point, and while he was not forgiven for sending her to deal with a demon, she was beginning to feel bad for her earlier remarks.

“I…” the scholar hissed as he glared down at his leg. “Will be at the seaside pavilion resting if you need me. Just… take the pathway to the dock and take a left, should be easy to find it from there…” he began to hobble away slowly. “You might want to unpack you things and get settled, Leona says you’re the key to our discovery here so I want you nice and rested before we begin…”

[Rayleigh]

The brunette paused mid-step, foot hovering over the stone threshold, hand placed gingerly on the door frame. "The key?" came her echo, voice hesitant as she turned back to him. "Me?" The concept baffled her. Leona had only recently inducted her into the Tarot Hierarchy, and the only job that she had completed had ended in disaster. How could she possibly be instrumental in this place?

Vincent mirrored Rayleigh's actions, slowing to a halt and turning back to her. "Well, yes," he answered, his soft-spoken words accompanied by a small shrug. "Leona told me that your abilities may be the only thing that can find us what we need here."

"But no pressure," Rayleigh interjected tartly.

The scholar shot his nine foot tall companion a look that Ray did not have the patience or energy to decode. Then he sighed. "Get some rest," Vince repeated, determining that there was no use in fighting any longer. If he had learned anything from his past interactions with Rayleigh Aston, it was that her fuse was as short and easily lit as anyone else had met. "Meet us when you're ready." And maybe not so bitchy. Without a second word or a second glance, he turned back to his slow, jagged journey down the path.

The mechanic did not wait to watch him go. Instead, she shoved back the wool blanket that had been draped across the doorway. The rudimentary curtain lacked any decorative deigns or embellishments; surely, it had been stripped from a ship's bunk, and it was quite ugly against the ornate stone walls of the hut. Ray, however, paid this little mind as she slipped into the dimly lit, one-room abode. In fact, she found that she was more thankful for the privacy that someone had thought to arrange for her.

Without wasting any time, she let her bag fall to the freshly swept floor. Its contents shifted within with the melodic sound of metal tumbling over metal, but the noise was quickly interrupted by creaking springs and Ray's low groan as she collapsed onto the small cot.

"Finally," the mousy girl mumbled to herself, pulling her legs to her chest and curling into the fetal position. "Sleep."

Though she remained there for only two hours, her slumber was deep and dreamless. When she finally approached her crippled friend at the pavilion shortly after waking, he could tell right away that the rest had served its purpose. Her freckle-splattered cheeks had regained some of their rosy color, and her jade eyes sparkled with a curiosity that exhaustion had dulled when she first arrived.

"You're looking much better," he exclaimed, smiling warmly as Rayleigh settled into the seat opposite him. Then, his smile faltering as he realized how poorly he had phrased his greeting, he hastily added "let's get down to business, shall we?"

[Cards of Fate]

The tall, bronze, Hierophant appeared seemingly out of nowhere carrying several rolls of paper and books. The scholar grinned as his assistant set them down on the table before the two before vanishing once more.

“Where did he?” Ray paused. “Do you do the questions thing like Leona?” Vincent laughed and ran a free hand through his long hair, pushing it out of his face.

“No, I hate that rule actually.” The scholar replied as he grabbed a scroll with his free hand and brought his other hand back to the table to smooth out the rolled out piece of parchment. On it was an incredibly detailed map of what Rayleigh assumed to be the island they were sitting on.

“This,” Vincent exclaimed with a grin, “Is the island of Vostr.” Whilst holding one hand on the paper the scholar reached into his pocket and produced several small stones to set on each corner of the map. “Every time I've read of this island in ancient texts, it’s referred to as the island of the immortals.”

“The island of immortals?” Rayleigh asked leaning forward. This very conversation reminded her of the first time she encountered the scholar. Buried in books with maps scattered about. “Why is it called that?”

“Because as far as my excavations and explorations have shown this island is devoid of burial grounds. Not a crypt or corpse to be seen anywhere. Hell there aren’t even animal bones on this island save the livestock we’ve slaughtered.” The scholar replied. His hand danced over the lines of the map as his sapphire eyes scanned for what he was looking for. After a moment and snapped his fingers and pointed to a symbol on the center of the island.

“This,” he muttered excitedly, “Is a very peculiar symbol. All of my studies seem to point to it meaning ‘Paradise’ or ‘the afterlife.”

“Ok so why haven’t you explored there yet?” the mechanic inquired as she followed his finger.

“Because it’s locked with…can you guess what I’m going to say?”

“It’s got a machine blocking your path.” Ray responded sinking into her chair slightly. “You need me to use my vision powers to open it don’t you?”

The scholar nodded as he folded his arms over her chest. “Yes, yes we do. However you’re more than just a key to the gate Ray. Once inside who knows what sort of ancient machines we’ll find for you to study.”

Ray perked up slightly as he mentioned machinery. “What makes you think there will be anything of value inside of it?” she asked cocking her head to the side.

“Because why would you go to all of the trouble to lock the damn thing up if you didn't have anything to protect?”

[Rayleigh]

"You have a point there," the brunette commented softly. With a soft creak from her wicker chair, Rayleigh settled back into it, folding her legs to her chest and resting her chin atop her knees. A small frown tugged at the corners of her coral lips, and it grew deeper the longer she remained lost in thought. Vincent, recognizing that his companion was still sorting through the information, respectfully gave her time to do so; the Hierophant did the same. Finally, in a voice barely above a whisper, she concluded, "I just don't know."

This was not the answer that the scholar had anticipated, nor was it the one he wanted to hear. His frown mirrored her's as he leaned closer to her. "What is there to 'not know,' Ray? I'm giving you a really unique opportunity here. We have the chance to investigate an entire island that has sat, virtually untouched, for ages." To add extra emphasis, he rapped his knuckles twice on the map before him. Every word he spoke grew more agitated, and he was struggling to contain his emotion by the end of his short speech. He had pulled a number of strings to get Rayleigh to the island. He had begged Leona to take her in, and he had sworn to take her under his wing. Even after he had stuck his neck out for her, she was willing to dismiss him with a simple 'I don't know?' "Honestly, I thought that this was what you wanted. I'm giving you knowledge. I'm giving you an adventure."

The mechanic did not miss a beat. "The last time you gave me an adventure, Vincent, I freed a devil."

"That," the scholar exclaimed, his pale face growing a warm red, "was not my fault."

Tense silence descended upon the small party. Vince's blue eyes bore into Ray's jade ones, and neither gaze wavered for an impossibly long time. Finally, she looked down a her hands; with a soft hiss, he exhaled the breath he had been holding. "Regardless," the mousy woman murmured, "it messed me up pretty bad."

"Well, what if told you that wouldn't happen again?" The small cloud of frustration hovering over the intellectual had not yet dispersed, and he delivered his question with more force than intended. It jerked Rayleigh's gaze back to him, and within those eyes danced a fear more severe than he had dreamed. The sight made him run an uncertain hand through his hair. In a softer, gentler voice, he asked, "what if I made sure you stayed safe?"

Her skepticism was clear on her face and in her tone when she answered him. "How can you make a promise like that?"

Vincent briefly considered her question. Recognizing he did not have an adequate answer, he simply spoke his mind. "It scared you pretty badly, didn't it?"

"Isn't that obvious?"

Vincent sighed, dispelling the last of his anger with the rush of air. Rayleigh was a pain in his ass, but he could not deny that she witnessed something truly horrific. "I'll stay close to you, okay? And the minute things get hairy, we'll leave."

His offer lingered between them until the green-eyed girl finally nodded. "Plus," she added with the smallest trace of a crooked smile, "we've got Casper the Friendly Ghost to beat up anything we run into."

Vincent groaned inwardly, immediately regretting the pop-culture references he had shared with her during their initial meeting. He would have preferred to leave that comment be, but the Hierophant, who had remained silent throughout the entire exchange, donned a quizzical expression.

"I do not understand that reference," the enormous man confessed in a comically timid voice.

"Its not important," countered the blonde, waving his hand in dismissal.

[Cards of Fate]

The two managed their way through the town with renewed vigor, each finding a bit more strength in the others resolve. Rayleigh had managed to table her fear for now, and Vincent was having a better time of moving about on his injured knee. Once they reached the outskirts of the harbor burg the found themselves treading on a tentative road, recently reclaimed by the towering verdant grass on either side of them.

“This entire place is bizarre…” Vincent mused as the sauntered down the road. “Not so much as a mouse wandering about.”

“How the hell does that work” Rayleigh asked glancing around at the amber waves of grain.

“No idea.” Vincent quipped back. “This whole god damn island is a bunch of stupid ass questions.”

“That Leona woman would hate it here.” The mechanic muttered. “Too many questions.” Vincent nodded in agreement and the two went on in silence for the rest of the walk save a few passing remarks. Finally they reached the center of the island, a massive hill bearing a large tower upon it’s crest.

“This is where we get stuck…” Vincent muttered motioning his hand at the empty wall before them. “There isn’t a fucking door.” Ray approached the well tentatively and laid a bare hand upon it, feeling for any catches or signs of a means of entry. After a moment she backed away and sighed.

“I have no clue.” She confessed shaking her head. “It’s like there isn’t anything there, but all of these statues seem to signify something of importance for this road…” she mused.

“Could the statues be the answer?” Vincent asked as he turned his sapphire gaze to the ornate lizard statues. “Surely there’s an entrance somewhere around here?”

[Rayleigh]

Without hesitation, the scholar began to run his hands along the rough surface of the statue. Fingers found their way into every nook, feeling blindly for a switch or button. "There must be something hidden," he growled, reaching far underneath the lizard's stone stomach, his body contorting as far as his bum knee would allow. He held his breath as he stretched his arm, and when he straightened up again, he expelled the air in a hard sigh of frustration and pain. "Nothing." Vincent turned to Rayleigh to determine if she fared any better, but his face quickly twisted in concern.

"Ray," he began sharply, "what are you doing?" The girl stood a few paces off, arms crossed tightly across her chest, eyes betraying some of the uncertainty that the set determination on her face hid. When she did not answer, the blonde tried again. "Come on, stop messing around."

"I'm not messing around," Rayleigh replied flatly. With a shrug, she added, "I'm just not going to touch anything."

The exasperated groan that escaped Vincent's lips closely resembled that of a father growing tired of his teenage daughter's antics. "But you said-"

"I said I'd go with you. But I'm keeping my hands to myself."

"You're kidding me, right?" Vincent shook his head, his hands wandering along the lizard's back as he continued. "You honestly intend to go through this entire temple without touching anything? What about all of that 'you're the key to unlocking this mystery' stuff? You were all for it not too long ago."

"Yeah, well now I'm here, and I don't feel like risking it." The brunette frowned. "What if I have a vision?"

"Gods forbid," Vincent hissed, twisting himself over the statue's long neck, "you find a way to get us into thing, and save us both the trouble of groping these statues any further."

That was enough to leave the woman speechless. She studied her companion for a moment longer, watching him struggle to reach the far tip of the lizard's elongated tail. Then she sighed. Moving to the second of the stone guardians, she reached out a shaking hand, and rested it gently atop the lizard's head. She drew a long breath, closing her eyes, and preparing for... nothing.

"Anything?" Vincent called out hopefully, now wedged between the lizard's two front legs.

"No." There was no splitting pain between her eyes, no fog, and no hooded figures. There was no disembodied voice murmuring her name from some alternate dimension, and no ghosts of a time long before her birth. "No vision." Now her long, thin fingers roamed the lizard's head with renewed vigor, confident that, at that moment, it was just a simple stone structure. It was only seconds later that her thumb fell upon the long tongue, and with a loud click, it curled under the statue's chin.

The sound was enough to bring Vincent to her side, his pale cheeks flushed with exertion. "What was it?" He asked excitedly. Then, noticing the new position of the lizard's tongue, he shook his head. "Seriously? The one thing I didn't try."

A tense silence fell between them, each breathless with anticipation. Vincent gripped his cane until his knuckles grew white, the Hierophant drifted back and forth, and Rayleigh's hands clenched into fists at her side, three pairs of eyes watching the wall for some sign of life. A minute passed, and then another.

Vincent finally put voice to the thoughts that they all shared. "Maybe we hit the wrong sw-"

The ground beneath them began to tremble. Inadvertently, the group moved closer together, each pressing against the other for balance and safety. Before their eyes, the earth that met the stone wall began to sink. The booming melody of gears turning and metal creaking filled the air, each note accompanied by another movement on the ground. It took less than thirty seconds all together, but when the song died away, it left behind a narrow staircase that led deep below the wall.