Chapter 1
“Kings are usually considered the rulers, but in this game, they sit falsely on the throne.”
– From the diary of Maria Palas
Dawn was her favorite time of day—the sky awakening, the sun slowly chasing away night. Novem thought of dawn as new beginnings, though she perpetually found herself held back in old endings.
A blackbird landed on an abandoned stone tower rim, black wings so dark they reflected fading starlight. Claws gripping stone, the bird’s head tilted curiously at the girl holding a knife.
Novem panted, her lungs moving at the pace of flapping wings. She
readusted her grip on Ona, the name of her mother’s knife, as it was loose from the sweat of her palm. Novem let the feeling of the handle calm her. A few feet away lay her practice board, stabbed and battered, much like her beating heart.
Novem moved to sit on the ledge of the stone tower, crouching down on sore legs. The bird startled and flew off into the sky, soaring with freedom. Other birds joined in, experiencing the kind of liberty Novem could never imagine. The birds circled the forest, rotating like a cyclone. It was their way of searching for prey, drawing a circle before stabbing it with a knife.
The city lights of Badavlat twinkled in the distance, a starry night sky captured within the boundaries of a city, a world in which she was never included. Novem toyed with Ona, still grasped in her palm, and noticed her face, the face of her mother, reflected in the metal: pale skin from years of shadow, black hair that was dark as thick smoke, and grey eyes, faded from years of grief and loneliness.
Since that day in the woods, loneliness had been a predominant feeling, one Novem could not relinquish. Despite the long years since her mother’s death, Novem remembered vividly the day everything changed.
They were gliding through the forest, hand in hand. “Only a little farther, Nov,” her mother assured as behind them swift steps followed. Life was peaceful when she lived with her mother in the woods, outside Spades Suit’s borders, until they had to run from a nameless evil foe.
Her mother, Maria, swerved them aside into the thickness of leaves, disguising them. “Listen to me, Nov,” said her mother. “You need to run. I need you to be safe.”
“Why, mama?”
“The King of Spades is after me and I don’t want him to capture you.”
“But I can help defend you!”
Maria shook her head. “You’ll be safer if you run.” She paused for a moment to hold her daughter, knowing their time was near the end. “One day, you’ll understand.”
Novem started to cry. Little smoky drops, stained by the dirt on her face, slipped off her cheeks. Maria caught the tears with an extended hand, as she always caught her daughter if she fell. “It’ll be okay dear. I’ll always be there for you. Either in here,” she said, touching a light hand to Novem’s heart. “Or up there.” She pointed to the stars above.
The sound of footsteps increased in the close distance. Novem wanted to savor this finite moment to be embraced by her mother for eternity.
With tenderness, Maria’s hand glided through the fine strands of Novem’s hair. “Someday you will understand everything,” asserted Maria. “I promise.”
The steps of soldiers were overwhelming, the pit of a waterfall cascading around them. “You will figure it all out, dear.”
Face hidden in her mother’s hug, Novem whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you too.” Her mother’s hands dropped as her expression grew stern. “Now run.”
Maria stepped into the fray as Novem turned around running for whatever her life was worth. Being the young and naive little girl she was, she didn’t run long before pausing to reconsider. When she turned around, the King of Spades’ men were like bees, swarming the forest.
One of the Jokers appeared through the darkness, one of the most formidable entities in Deque. It was the Bird, characterized by his black and white suit, grand feathery wings expanding like sun rays behind him. His half-face mask was accentuated in the darkness of the trees. It wasn’t the black mask itself she could discern, but the white accents protruding like strikes of a blade. A single golden teardrop twinkled in the moonlight, falling from the lightless slits of his eyes.
The Joker held her limp mother in his hands, announcing her death with a smirk. He left one of his cursed flowers on her corpse, a faded red and yellow clover. As the King of Spades stepped out from the horde of soldiers, looking satisfied by the lack of movement in her mother’s body, he had the audacity to smile.
Novem knew she would always have vendettas against the two people she abhorred most: The King of Spades and the Joker.
Since then, Novem wondered if the Joker would hunt her down, the daughter of Maria. Why was the King after her mother? When would she finally understand?
She thought of her mother frequently. She knew she shouldn’t, as it only kept the wound open. She thought about changing her life one day, unsticking herself from her mundane routine. Novem was stuck in the riptide, constantly turning over and living the same life of jailed grief. She admired the uncaged movements of the blackbirds still flying overhead, wishing to be among them.
Novem continued to live her life far outside of Spades, in one of the abandoned Markaz Towers. There were four towers, one for each Suit, located in the center of the land, with the territories of each Suit expanding to their respective corners of the world. Her mother was a Spade, so Novem chose to live in Spades Tower, one that brought her feelings of comfort relating to the life she could have lived.
There were four Suits in Deque: Spades, Clubs, Hearts, and Diamonds. Each Suit harnessed their own power: Spades controlled smoke, Clubs bonded with nature, Hearts manipulated emotions, and Diamonds wielded jewels. Since Novem’s mother was a Spade, Novem possessed the power to control smoke.
The sun currently poked through the treetops, a bright orange color barely visible from the distant leaves. She sheathed her mother’s knife to enjoy the view spilling before her. The sun expanded, arms stretching wide, soon to reach the forests of Clubs Suit.
Ever since she ran away, Novem was responsible for sustaining herself. The Markaz Towers provided a location for her to reside, along with seclusion. She made a living gathering botanicals only found beyond the borders of Spades Suit and selling them to the local brewery in the nearest Narsae village, a village of those without power. With the money she bartered from the brewer, she purchased food and supplies.
Narsae, those without a card, rarely possessed any magical abilities. They were the peasants, worth nothing according to the Royals and the Raqam.
Playing cards served as one’s identity. They were a symbol of one’s magical capabilities, the card number determined by the card of the parents. The playing card was displayed as a forearm tattoo that was not always visible. At will, a physical playing card could be produced. The magical capabilities were stored in the card, and if stolen, the powers transferred.
Raqam, those with playing card numbers ranging from two to ten, had a mediocre level of power, which increased in strength as the playing card number increased.
The Royals were the Jack, the Queen, and the King. They were gifted with more power than the Raqam and were chosen as the leaders of the separate Suits.
There were once Aces as well, until they were forced to disappear. Aces had more power than the Royals, though there were only four. Some attribute their disappearance to the Royals revolting, but no one recalls what happened to cause their demise.
Finally, the two Jokers, the most powerful entities, did not belong to a specific Suit. Jokers had limited powers from each of the Suits, however, they were each especially gifted with one of the four powers, called their dominant power. The two Jokers had their own nicknames: The Bird and The Fool.
The Bird was the one she despised. Every time she recalled his name, memories of her mother emerged. Centuries ago, the people tried to ban the Jokers from their territories. Since the two Jokers had more power than anyone else, the attempts failed. In the end, everyone reluctantly agreed the Jokers could do whatever they pleased. Now they freely roamed through the Suit territories.
Novem spiraled down the stairs of Spades Tower. Tiny rectangular windows appeared every so often, displaying either the forest in the distance or the nearby towers. She summoned her power to clear away the perpetual smoke clouding the area. Novem crossed a field of grass in the early morning shade. With the hottest season approaching its end, the temperature would slowly drop over the next month. Inside Spades Territory, clouds covered the land, providing relief from the heat.
Novem picked juniper berries in the early morning to avoid the dreaded afternoon intensity. The berries thrived in dry areas with open land and sun aplenty. The field near her tower was the driest area, filled with evergreen shrubs. Juniper bushes were light green with leaves like needles where berries grew in plentiful amounts, their dark blue color a stark contrast to the green leaves. Novem bent beside the bushes to pluck the berries with her hands, placing each berry into the basket at her side.
On her way to Pastroq, the Narsae village near the border between Spades and Clubs territory, Novem stopped at the forest edge to search for angelica plants, digging around for healthy roots to trim. Finding a jumble that was not too tangled, she used her knife to cut the brown roots. After placing them in her basket, she regathered the dirt around the plant.
Novem walked through the dusty streets of Pastroq, passing the market to reach the brewery. She found it funny how, even in the depths of poverty, people still found a way to create and purchase alcohol.
Entering the mostly empty pub, Novem smiled at the bartender as she cut to the back. Through the double doors, large pots with barrels stacked against the walls appeared. An old man stood before a pot, stirring the cloudy liquid wort that would become the next ale offered at the pub.
“Mornin, hun,” Remy, the pub owner, greeted, lifting his head.
“Good morning Remy.” Novem dumped the berries and roots onto the counter, beginning to sort them.
“What’d you bring me today?”
“Juniper berries and angelica roots.”
“Ahh, lovely. I reckon that’d be ‘bout 3 red chips worth?”
“Yes, thank you.”
The currency in Deque was given in chips. White was the lowest, with red chips equating to five white chips, and blue chips equating to ten white chips. Red and white chips were the most common colored chips in the Narsae villages, considering nobody had enough money to buy or sell anything above the value of two blue chips.
Novem finished sorting the berries and turned to see Remy picking coins from his pocket. “Here, luv. One red and a few white.”
The coins jingled as they were placed in Novem’s hand, the plastic disks colliding with each other creating a specific noise to which she was accustomed. “Thanks Remy. Until next time.”
Back on the main street, Novem crossed the market and purchased items she needed for the upcoming week: bread, fruits, vegetables, and sundry non-perishables she could prepare in her rudimentary kitchen. Approaching the market end, she was left with only a couple white chips.
Guards stood posted on the street corners, keeping an eye on the citizens of Pastroq. They were called Draws, ordered by the Royals to watch the Narsae peasants. Novem eyed them wearily as she approached the last booth, where muted red hair appeared. A girl selling mushrooms bustled inside the tent, watering the still-alive fungi and shooing away flies from the ones she was selling. An excited bee buzzed within the tent, aimlessly searching. Perhaps it was looking for a flower to pollinate, attracted to the bright colors Lysara wore. It landed on a mushroom for a brief second until Lysara’s bright hand shooed it away.
Novem pulled out her remaining white chips. “How much for a
bag of your finest mushrooms?”
The girl with red hair, Lysara, raised her head. “Novem!” she exclaimed with giddiness. “You’re in town again! Ahhh, I have so many things to tell you! Come,” she waved Novem into the booth.
Many years ago, amidst the loneliness of tower life, Novem was wandering the streets late at night when Lysara found her. Novem stayed at her place a few days until she felt stable enough to return to her tower. Those few nights with Lysara were the least lonely she’d felt in a long time, and since then a new and bright friendship forged.
Novem entered through a rear flap in the tent as Lysara squealed, “Okay, okay, can you believe the festival is less than two months away? I cannot wait.”
“It appears you can’t stop talking about it.”
“I can’t! I’ve already made my dress. Oh my Jokers, you should come too!”
“Ly, I don’t live here-”
“So? You can still come.” Lysara’s mouth opened wide in pure joy. “I should make you a dress!”
“Ly, you really don’t have to-”
“No backing out. I’ll make you a dress. Next time you visit I’ll measure you.”
Novem sighed, knowing this battle was already lost. “Okay, fine. Must I bring someone?”
“Of course! I was thinking you’d come with me.”
“But what about the girl you were too afraid to approach? You should ask her.”
Lysara looked at Novem like she was crazy. “My Aces, Novem, you really think I could walk up to her and ask her to go to the festival with me?”
Unsure, Novem guessed, “Yes?”
Lysara threw her hands in the air. “It’s useless! I can’t ask her! Maybe I’ll watch you dance with your partner from afar instead.”
“Ly, don’t say that-”
“Who are you bringing?”
Novem hesitated, noticing the intentional change of subject. “Well, I don’t particularly know anyone to bring.”
“It sucks you’re such an introvert,” she commented. “Remind me to fix that later.”
Novem laughed. “Who said it was a problem?”
Lysara immediately screamed in response. “Me!”
“Oh Aces, if it’s an extroverted friend you’re looking for, I’m afraid you must try elsewhere.”
A balding man approached the tent, dirty white cloth bag in hand. “Perhaps I’ll try him,” Lysara joked. The old customer chose a few fungi he would like to purchase before storing them in the tote bag he carried.
Lysara accepted his coins before turning to face Novem. “Oh! Did you hear the news about the Jack of Spades?”
Novem’s ears piqued at the title. “What news?”
“He’s hosting a ball in search of a wife.”
“Wait, the Jack is looking for a wife? How?”
“I’m not sure, apparently at the ball he’ll pick a handful of girls to compete for the title. I never understood the hype about the Jack of Spades…”
Novem snorted. “Neither did I.”
A second customer approached the tent, so Lysara worked diligently to sell as many mushrooms as she could to the poor woman. The whole city was poor, in fact. None of the wealth of Badavlat, the Raqam city, circulated through here. The Royals and Raqam didn’t see the Narsae worth their time. It was disturbing how terrible the living conditions were compared to Badavlat.
“Wow, two red chips! Guess who’s eating out tonight!”
“Where?” Novem asked jokingly, knowing there was nowhere to go.
“Yeah, you’re right,” Ly sighed, despondent. “Restaurants don’t quite exist anymore.”
“Well, you could invest the money into your business?” Novem offered.
“In what way?”
Novem waved her hands about, her lack of knowledge in this subject obvious. “I don’t know. Maybe…mushroom growing supplies?”
Ly chuckled, shaking her head in disappointment. “You don’t get it.”
Novem deflated. “You’re right, I don’t.” She smiled, and Ly did the same.
“Thanks for stopping by.”
The girls reached over for a hug, their friendship mutually enjoyed. “Anytime.”
Ly pulled back quickly, a new idea in her mind. “You should go to the ball at the palace. Try for Queen! Meet some people, have new experiences, move on from living in your tower all isolated.”
“I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.”
Ly pushed Novem’s shoulder. “I’m not. I really think you should immerse yourself in society.”
Novem signaled around her. “Am I not at the moment?”
Ly stood from her stool, escorting Novem out of the tent. “I think you should consider it. You never know, you might meet someone.”
“Are you trying to find me a date for the festival?”
Ly crossed her arms. “No, you’re my date, remember?”
“Ly! Go ask the girl!”
Lysara ran to Novem, shushing her. “Go away! Someone will hear.”
With a final push, Novem was leaving Pastroq with a smile.
On her way out of Pastroq, Novem passed a cartoon drawing posted on the wall, announcing the trials for Queen that Lysara had mentioned. In the center sat the Jack, dressed nicely with a sword at his hip. Behind him, looming ominously with a hand on the Jack’s shoulder, was the King of Spades.
Novem shivered at his drawing. His facial features were sharp, like the tip of the sword he would no doubt want to slice through her,
his eyes equally as piercing.
The sight of him caused a wave of emotions to flow through her. The feeling that floated the highest was a sense of blame. She blamed him for her pain, for her grief, and for the death of her mother. Novem felt the only way her pain would be cured was if she had her revenge on the King.
Novem ached for that feeling, but instead of acting, she returned to her towers.
To read more, buy the book here.
S. Marie Holland 