Ten of Swords - Kate-Lyn Therkelsen

Winner of the 2022 GenreCon Short Story Competition.

Standing next to the bed, I hold the tarot deck in my bloody hands. I sift through the cards and pluck out the ones I intend to use for the spread. Rose and Nathan lie before me, tangled in the sheets.

I had known Rose almost a decade when we reconnected. We had worked together briefly in 2013 but our friendship had since been relegated to social media. We messaged sporadically over the years until I reached out to her about catching up in person. She seemed like someone I wanted to get to know more, who would be a positive influence on my life.

Our friendship transitioned well into the real world. We grew close quickly, and I could never have imagined that a bond like ours was on the cards for me. We had so much in common, and our lives had many uncanny similarities. At the time of our reconnection, we had both recently come out of long-term relationships. I was two weeks heartbroken. My life as I knew it was falling apart. Rose was two years single and apparently recovered and thriving. Our friendship was an escape for me. A reprieve. We did all sorts of things together. One of the best times was a sunset beach picnic, where we drank wine, ate cheese and crackers and she gave me my first tarot card reading.

Rose was super spiritual, and as I navigated my ex-fiancé’s betrayal, I felt the desire to go beyond the clinical boundaries of therapy and seek out answers from alternative sources. As I navigated raw heartbreak and life upheaval, Rose’s card readings guided my way. They highlighted the shift in my circle of friends and acquaintances. My interests and priorities were changing, and old connections were falling away.

‘Don’t worry about these shifts,’ Rose assured me.

I was making room for growth and being drawn to like-minded people. My friendship with her was a true blessing in my time of need, and I told her so often.

‘I am grateful for my wonderfully supportive and loving friends,’ I affirmed.

How surprised I was when, four months single, the cards informed me that there was potential for a new romance coming my way. I was excited but nervous.

‘I am a romantic person,’ I affirmed with wary anticipation. ‘I release any fears I may have around giving and receiving love.’

The prophesied romantic partner manifested in the form of Nathan. Not quite the angelic figure portrayed on the card, with dark, wavy hair bouncing off broad shoulders, a winged knight cloaked in red and brandishing a sword. He did have a beard.

I used imaginative ideas to nurture this new romance, arranging exciting getaways and evenings spent eating, drinking, and dancing. Swept up in my blissful fog, I ignored the warnings in the cards. Trust your intuition. Be honest with yourself. These messages showed up in every reading, and at first, I dismissed them. The cards were just a guide. Surely, they weren’t right all the time. But I simply could not deny the accuracy of the cards. You could not make this stuff up. I think Rose had noticed the warnings too, as her willingness to do readings for me waned. So, I learned to read them myself.

The Nine of Wands card warned me of an impending treason or breach of trust. Put your shield up, guard your turf carefully, and if it feels like someone is up to no good, trust it.

The Three of Swords symbolised betrayal, especially the romantic kind. The partner who lies about what they did last night. The one who has a secret affair. The Magician, The Moon and Five of Cups warned of trickery, of being fooled. A stab in the back. I move to Nathan’s side and place these cards around him.

The image on the Nine of Swords showed a figure sitting up in bed, their face in their hands, swords appearing to pierce through their body. An image was carved into the bed below the figure showing one person attacking another. A symbol of treachery. The kind of betrayal that wounds deeply when someone you love turns on you. I place this card between Rose and Nathan.

The Seven of Swords told of someone waiting until the coast was clear to do their dirty deed. Someone being sneaky, taking things that do not belong to them and getting away with it. A stab in the back. This card goes next to Rose.

Rose was my best friend, my soul sister. Blinded by love, I could not see the lust unfolding before my very eyes. Rose’s lingering glances. Nathan’s seemingly innocent mentions of spotting her around town. It was a mistake to introduce the two loves of my life, because they became each other’s. Theirs was an instant connection, they’d said. One that didn’t need words, didn’t need to be cultivated through getaways and dinner dates. It just was. Still raw from heartbreak, I was determined to take it slow, too slow for Nathan. Rose was ready to go. Her sweet fragrance had lured Nathan in, while her thorns had pricked me, making me jump out of the way.

The Ten of Swords, the ultimate ‘stabbed in the back’ card. A symbol of complete betrayal and let-down. A major blow that proved fatal to the relationship. I place the card beside Rose’s lifeless body, which is face down and completely pinned by the ‘swords,’ or kitchen knives (one must make do with the available resources).

I stand back and observe the reading I have brought to life. Twenty-nine stab wounds in total. One for every sword, every stab in the back. Rose and Nathan, two figures carved into a bed. The cards have manifested before me. It turned out they were right after all.