The Priestess had grown suspicious after the Empress had killed Fauna. But before Circe could slip back to the safety of her underwater temple, the Empress had captured her, keeping her alive—so that I wouldn’t hear of yet another murder, another betrayal. The treacherous Empress had planned to poison me first, then do away with Circe. . . .

No, I will not be seduced this game. My heart is as black as my armor. The Empress has made it so.

I am Death. When her blood bathes my sword, I will drink it just to mock her.

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.