The Blind Lady's place

The fortune teller Sachiko sent me to was not at all what I expected.

I'd hit the Sanctum of the Blind Lady directly after finishing business at Pendross' shop. The old man behind the counter had been fascinated by my left hand. He'd insisted on opening the whole thing up, kept muttering technical specs and oohing and aahing as he looked through its innards. I'd practically had to pry the thing out of his hands when I wanted to leave; he'd wanted to keep the thing for a night so he could take it apart. When he'd let go of it, sighing with regret, and asked me to do him the kindness of bringing it to him if the hand should ever need repair, but the look in his eye seemed to say he didn't think that would be any time soon. With the hand back in place on my arm, and the fear chip the old man had removed from it secured in a small compartment I hadn't known the hand possessed, I left Pendross' and headed to see the next person Sachiko had recommended, the Blind Lady.

Her shop was small, nestled between a bar and a large emporium, but seemed impressive nonetheless. It was light stone, a single story structure with a bowed front, and two large, curtained windows on either side of a solid wooden door. Above the door, there was a round window of colored glass, shaped into some sort of mystic symbol, or so it looked to my untrained eye.

I'd gotten a picture in my head of an old woman with paper-thin skin, wrapped in a shawl and sitting behind a table with a crystal ball on it, maybe throwing yarrow rods or rings to tell people their future. But when the door opened, after a small eye set in the door popped open and scanned me from toes to hair, I set eyes on a strong woman, a few inches taller than me, dressed in sweat-stained workout clothes. She had broad shoulders and her sleeveless arms showed well-toned muscle, and the only thing that seemed out of place was the blindfold of blue cloth embroidered with gold stars that covered her eyes.

“My apologies. I'd hoped to be cleaned up before you arrived, but the Sight can be a little off when comes to exact timing.”

“Ah... OK. I mean, it's fine. I mean, I didn't mean to be late...” I took a breath and got a hold of myself. “A friend of mine, Sachiko, she said it was worth coming to see the Blind Lady. My name's Red Hand.”

“I can see why. Sr. Pendross must have been beside himself with joy when you walked into his shop. Welcome to my house, Sr. Hand; enter in peace. I 'm Aisling Guida.” She stepped back and held the door wide, motioning me to enter.

The room I entered was spare, holding only a table and two chairs. Though the windows that flanked the door were curtained, the white-washed walls and floor spread the colored light coming through the upper window, and managed to make the room feel both open and intimate. A second door, opposite the door I'd just come through, lead farther back into the building, with the table directly between them.

At the Lady's gesture, I sat in one of the chairs. Settling herself opposite me, she laid her hands flat on the table and regarded me silently for a few moments. The cloth over her eyes didn't stop the weight of her gaze from settling on me. Then she nodded, as if satisfied, and relaxed a bit.

“So, how can I be of assistance?”

“I'm not sure. A friend of mine, Sachiko, she sails the Void Dog...”

“Yes, I know Sachiko.”

“Right, Sachiko said it might be worthwhile to see you, before I moved on from here.”

“Did you have a specific question you wanted help with?”

“No, not really. Like I said, Sachiko said it might be worthwhile to come, but I don't have anything in particular, y'know, she was right about going to Pendross', so...”

“Hmm. Well, would you like me to do a reading for you?”

“What would that entail? I mean, what do I do for that?”

“Nothing, really. Just clear your mind of any specific thoughts and give me your hand.” She said, extending her own hands towards me. Without really thinking, I put my metal left hand in hers. When I tried to pull it back, stammering, hoping she didn't think I was trying to be funny, she wouldn't let me. She pulled the hand closer to her, bringing my chest flush with the table. She leaned forward, bringing her clothed eyes near to the hand's reflective surface.

“My. My word. Mr. Pendross must have been very excited to see you.”

“He did seem excited, yes.”

“Your friend is old. Yes. It's memory is somewhere else, now, but the substance knows its own age. It likes you, very much. This is a gift, Red. You gained much more than you lost, when this hand was joined to you. The one's who gave it to you didn't know it. They had no idea, no idea at all.”

“Can you tell me about them? The people who installed it?”

“No... it was lost for a long time, and when it was found, you gained it immediately. Whoever gave it to you barely touched it.”

“Just my luck.”

“Again, whatever happened that brought it to you, you came out ahead.” Looking unsatisfied, she curled the metal fingers and let go of them. “There's quite a lot more, but it's beyond what I can see. I think you might have more success asking it yourself. Your metal friend is quite self-aware, and it trusts you much more than it trusts me.”

“That's good to know, at least. I just found out today how smart it is. Thanks. Sachiko said you'd work with me on some form of payment?”

“Drop anchor, there, sailor. Miss Aisling's wonderama and floor show isn't over yet. Give me your other hand.” She rapped the table twice and held out her hands again, smiling at me mischievously. I put my right hand in hers. She focused on it, running her fingers over my palm.

“You had a rough start. Not much in the way of being taken care of. You drifted, in more ways than one. Much of it you've locked away, and for good reason. Then, darkness falls... you didn't do it, it was taken away from you.” She turned my hand to catch the light better. “You've traveled far, and you'll travel farther still. You're not a hero, but you will be called on to perform as one, rising to the occasion when you must. Death will come near you, but not to you, many times before you end.”

“Should I be happy or sad about that?”

“That's up to you.” She flashed me another smile, then returned to scrutinizing my hand. “Those around you are oak, strong and constant. You flow like water, finding the path that others miss, that they cannot see, that even you may not see. Right now, there are a number of different forces centered on you, and your metal friend. There are different factions that seek to gain your allegiance, but none would benefit you more than keeping control of your own destiny would. They want to use you, not help you, but their greed gives you opportunity, if you can seize it. In the near future, answers will come to you on the journey you've become. By the time you reach your destination, you will have all you need to play your own game.”

“Should any of this make sense to me?”

“Some of it does, I know. The rest will only be clear in hindsight.” She smiled apologetically. “That's how fortune-telling works, most of the time. Sorry.”

“Can't complain, really. What I did get was... more than I thought I would. More than I thought you would get, I mean.”

“I hear that a lot.” She stood up and opened the door for me. “Good luck to you. You will need it, but I think you'll have it when the time comes.”

“So, what do I owe you?”

“I think I'm going to let you have this one on spec. Just... remember me when this part is all over. What's coming up now looks like just the start of a long road, and we might have a lot of business to do, sometime relatively soon.”

“Are you sure? I don't know if I'll ever be in this neighborhood again, y'know.” She nodded, and we shook hands. The Blind Lady's hand tightened on mine, and she reached out and held it in both hands for a moment before letting go.

“One last thing. When the big show starts, there have to be four of you.”