Heloise lit another cluster or herbs and trailed the smoke over the cards, waving the tiny bouquet between herself and Sabrina before blowing out the flame and dropping the herbs into a small silver pot. She then scooped up the cards again, shuffling them as she closed her eyes and swayed where she sat, pressing a pink quartz crystal against her forehead.

This was it. Sabrina's first two futures hadn't been especially encouraging, and she didn't want to squelch the faint stirring of hope that this third and final glimpse into her future would prove more enjoyable.

After a moment, Heloise once again dealt five cards in front of herself, then moved the remaining deck to the edge of the table before leaning forward. This time, she traced her fingertips gently over the surface of each card, sometimes nodding, sometimes shaking her head. Just when Sabrina thought she would burst from working so hard to contain herself, Heloise spoke.

"I will tell you this future exactly as I see it, or may I lose my Sight forever. Now, we might as well start with an old friend."

She slid the Death card in front of Sabrina, who accepted it as best she could, with a stoic nod.

Heloise carefully placed the next card in front of Sabrina, which showed two people falling from a very tall structure as flames reached through open windows.

"This card is the Tower," explained the Seer. "It represents enormous, usually unexpected, disruption and change. It suggests the very foundations of your life—your beliefs about yourself, others, and the world around you—are being shaken down to their very cores. Think of it as indicating a collapse of some sort, something falling apart...something that, while it will change the course of your life, might also offer unexpected freedom by removing limitations previously keeping you trapped."

Sabrina listened closely. That didn't sound so bad. While she hated unexpected change, whatever change befell her wouldn't be unexpected anymore, thanks to her time with Heloise.

The Seer slid another card in front of Sabrina, this one featuring a figure standing proudly in some sort of transportation device pulled by black and white creatures. Their striped headdresses and human faces were completely at odds with their lion-like bodies.

"This is the Chariot," Heloise explained. "It symbolizes a person on a mission, someone who's incredibly driven, who charges forward regardless of the obstacles in their way."

Sabrina nodded. She could certainly relate to that.

Heloise showed Sabrina the fourth card before placing it as she'd drawn it, upside down. The card depicted an angelic being with feathered wings pouring water from one gold goblet into another; one of the angel's feet rested in a pool of water while the other was planted firmly on dry land.

"This is Temperance, inverted," Heloise explained. "When the temperance card is upside down, it suggests a lack of balance, leaning too far in one direction."

She slid the fifth and final card before Sabrina. "And this is the Devil."

Sabrina's mind immediately went to her mother, but she refrained from saying as much. Instead, she asked, "And what does he symbolize?"

"A lot," replied Heloise, her eyes darkening. "But in this instance, he represents obsession." She pointed to the bottom portion of the card, where two naked human beings wore chains around their necks, the ends of which were held tightly by the Devil. "Being too obsessed with something can lead to a kind of imprisonment, although the one pursuing their obsession usually doesn't view it that way."

Looking at the cards again, Heloise blinked and brought her gaze to Sabrina's. "This reading is particularly challenging," she said. "In this future, there is death, although it's not as clear to me that it's only related to ideas or hopes and dreams. There's a stronger chance it involves a person."

She hesitated, glancing back down at the cards before eventually speaking again.

"In this future, you leave the Hexen. You're on a mission to solve the questions of your research, and you refuse to rest until you find the knowledge you seek."

"Where do I go?" asked Sabrina. "Far away, like in the other future you saw?"

Heloise shook her head. "I'm not sure. I saw you leave the castle, but then you crossed the bridge over the Neckar River and stood at the border of the Schwarzwald." She shifted in her seat. "After that, I couldn't see anything."

"Why not?" pressed Sabrina. "In the last future, you saw me traveling a great distance, on a journey that involved water."

Heloise hesitated again, and Sabrina was certain the other girl didn't want to reveal the true answer to her question.

"Seeing as how this is about my future, I suggest you tell me everything you saw," Sabrina snapped, making no effort to sound friendly.

Heloise obviously heard the implied threat, because Sabrina saw her swallow so hard, she practically gulped.

"There's only one place Seers can't see into," the other witch finally said. "The Schwarzwald."

Sabrina hadn't expected that. "The forest across the river?" she asked, just to make sure she wasn't missing something.

Heloise nodded, her expression turning worried. "The last thing I saw was you standing in front of the forest. And then you disappeared, as did the rest of that particular future. Since we can't see into the forest, I have to conclude you must have entered it, and that's why I couldn't see you anymore. Before the vision ended, I heard you say, 'It's the only chance I have of getting answers.' You also said, 'We did it.'"

Sabrina had so many questions, she wasn't sure what to ask first. "Why can't you see into the Schwarzwald?"

She'd never known there was anything the Hexen Seers couldn't see.

"Ever since the Waldkonig banished witches from the forest, Seers have been unable to see anything involving the Schwarzwald," explained Heloise. "We can't see its past, its present, or its future. It's like the Waldkonig put up a magical barrier that prevents us from gleaning any information about it. If we didn't have records in the library from witches who actually lived there, we wouldn't know anything about it."

Sabrina could understand the Waldkonig's reasons for ensuring no one was able to learn anything about his forest, especially witches, but it was incredibly frustrating when it was her future his actions were affecting. She studied the candle nearest her, watching the flame dance sideways before asking, "What about after I entered the Schwarzwald? How happened next?"

"I didn't see you leave the forest," replied Heloise quietly. "And whatever that means, it can't be good."

"Are you saying I go there and die?" demanded Sabrina, pointing to the Death card. "This certainly seems to be a common theme among all my futures!"

"I'm not saying that," replied Heloise. "I'm saying, you entered the Schwarzwald, and I didn't see you leave. Anything more than that isn't reporting what I saw, it's just giving you guesses and conjectures."

"Why would I leave the Hexen and go into the Schwarzwald, of all places?" wondered Sabrina aloud.

"I don't know," Heloise shook her head slowly. "But you must have had a good reason...or at least, you thought you did."

"You said I mentioned seeking answers to my research...what sort of answers was I looking for?" asked Sabrina.

"I have no idea," replied Heloise. "I didn't hear you say more than what I told you."

Sabrina nodded, running back through everything she'd been told. While she couldn't help but feel disappointed, she reminded herself she'd actually learned quite a lot. She had three very different futures before her, three very different choices to make. Knowledge was power, and she had more knowledge now than when she'd first entered the tower, thanks to Heloise.

"Thank you," she said, remembering her manners. "You've been very helpful, Heloise."

"Please don't mention what I told you about Seers not being able to see into the Schwarzwald to anyone," pleaded Heloise. "The other witches will find out individually, if the forest plays a role in their future, but we don't want everyone in the Hexen panicking."

Sabrina nodded. "Oh, trust me, I won't breathe a word about anything I learned in here to anyone."

"Thank you," Heloise offered a tight-lipped smile as Sabrina rose to leave. "Before you go, it's customary for me to ask how you're doing. I know hearing so many possibilities can be overwhelming, so...how are you doing?"

She looked as uncomfortable asking Sabrina about her feelings as Sabrina felt discussing them.

"I'm fine," replied Sabrina. "What, exactly, would you do if I wasn't?"

"We frequently connect those we read futures for with Healers," explained Heloise. "It can help to talk about things with someone else."

Talking with others had never been especially helpful to Sabrina, and certainly not as helpful as figuring things out herself.

"I'm fine," she assured Heloise. "It's just a lot to take in, and I'm going to need some time to process it."

Heloise nodded, and Sabrina felt it prudent to address one more thing before she left.

"Just so I understand," she said, "are these readings only between the two of us? Do you discuss them with the other Seers?"

Heloise shook her head. "Not since I turned eighteen and came of age, no. It's not like being in training; I don't report anything to a mentor anymore."

Relieved, Sabrina felt as if a weight had slipped from her shoulders. "And if someone was to come and ask you about my future...would you have to tell them what you saw?"

"Who would ask me about your future?" asked Heloise, appearing genuinely puzzled.

"If my mother found out I came here tonight and demanded you tell her everything you just told me, would you do it?" snapped Sabrina, frustrated at having to lay it out so plainly for Heloise, who was clearly as dimwitted as she'd always suspected, the girl's abilities as a Seer aside.

"Oh," said Heloise, finally grasping Sabrina's point. "No. I can't reveal anything about a person's future to anyone other than that person. Even if it was the Sprechen herself asking, I'm bound by the Seer's code and couldn't tell her anything."

That was exactly what Sabrina had been hoping to hear, and she let out a sigh of relief she immediately hoped Heloise hadn't noticed.

"Thank you," she said again before making her way to the door and slipping quietly into the darkened hallway. Sconces flared to life as she passed, but she barely noticed. While she considered going back to her apartment, she hesitated, then changed course and instead made her way across the castle to her workspace.

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