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magic. But he’s crazy and you’re weak.”
    “Eight . . . seven . . .”
    Here we were: a mentally unstable Fool, an all but arrowless Archer, a magically challenged Magician, and me, running on fumes and anger.
    What could possibly go wrong?
    I reminded myself that today’s encounter might be step one in bringing down this ancient contest. I imagined the game as a machine with cogs and wheels grinding to life every few centuries. I wanted to jam a stick of dynamite into the cogs and laugh as it exploded forever.
    “Shh.” Matthew covered his lips with his forefinger. “They’re here.”
    When the three rounded the corner, two on foot and one in the air, my adrenaline surged. Yet then I noticed that our adversaries weren’t as intimidating as I’d expected. Gabriel, for one, flew in obvious pain, blood seeping from one silky black wing, staining his old-timey gray suit. Underneath hanks of jet hair, his face was pale.
    As an Arcana, I could see his tableau , a brief superimposed picture, like a Tarot card. His was of an archangel carrying a staff and sword, flying over a mass of bodies.
    Selena murmured, “He’s injured.”
    “Death stabbed his wing,” I replied. “Right before he beheaded the Temperance Card.”
    And the World? Tess Quinn was a chubby brunette with nervous eyes. She carried a battered staff. Presently she was biting the nails of her free hand to the quick. Hardly a seasoned killer.
    I’d wager she had as little control over her powers as I used to. Her tableau was a bare-chested maiden with a swath of cloth around her hips, symbols of the four elements framing her.
    But Joules looked malicious, his dark eyes flashing as sparks glittered over his skin. His tableau was the most terrifying—charred bodies plummeting from a lightning-struck tower.
    When the three paused in front of the house, he called out, “Get a gander at all the vines! Empress must’ve spilled pints of blood to grow ’em!” His Irish accent was pronounced. “And the grand trees too? I’ll bet you’re right wasted. That tornado’s fierce-looking, but Gabe can fly circles around it.” He opened his right hand and a javelin appeared in it.
    At this sign of aggression, my claws tingled anew, the heat rising. Come, Tower, touch, was on the tip of my tongue. Instead I inhaled for control and forced myself to say, “Hi, Joules, my name is Evie.”
    Double take from the Tower.
    “And I want you to know that I’m sorry about what happened to Calanthe. She was a brave fighter. She deserved better.”
    In my head, Death tsked. —You wound me, creature.—
    Ignoring him, I told Joules, “We want to join with you in an alliance to take out Death. Then we would be seven, gunning for him.”
    Joules twirled his javelin with ease. It was a thing of beauty, gleaming, etched with ancient symbols. “Or I could end you all today, snag your icons and more power to take him on myself.”
    Out of the side of her mouth, Selena muttered, “Told you, dumb-ass.”
    “We don’t want any trouble with you,” I called.
    “Too bad. ’Cause it’s trouble you’ll be gettin’.”
    “What happened to the enemy of my enemy is my friend  ?”
    “Death stole my lass from me. Now I’m going to steal what he’s hankerin’ for most: your demise.”
    I was selling this as hard as I could, and it still looked like we were about to throw down. “It won’t happen, Joules. Our alliance is too powerful. Already the Fool has foreseen that we would win this fight and all three of you will die.” Bluffing. “We could’ve hidden ourselves with the Magician’s illusions and ambushed you, but I wanted to offer an alliance. We’re not playing this game. We refuse to kill any other player except for Death. We can make that vow to you today.”
    Tess’s eyes widened, excitement in her expression. Hovering above us, Gabriel tilted his head, his face unreadable. Joules looked even more furious. “The vicious Empress is making promises?