Tony and Wanda silently repeated the three-line honorific name to themselves.
Wanda still didn’t fully understand what it represented.
Although the Mystery Pryer Characteristic had exposed her to fragments of mysticism knowledge, she hadn’t come into contact with anything involving actual deities.
Tony was different.
He had already encountered one of the Fool’s Blessed, and afterward he’d had JARVIS look up exactly what that term implied.
According to the information JARVIS had found, a Blessed was generally someone chosen, favored, or empowered by a deity—something similar to a divine emissary.
If the Fool possessed Blessed, then the obvious implication was that the mysterious figure before them was a god.
Yet Tony hadn’t found the slightest trace of him anywhere.
Aside from the Fool card in the Tarot, there was no deity by that name in Norse mythology, Indian mythology, Native American traditions, or any of the other belief systems Tony had searched.
The same was true of the world’s major religions.
None of their pantheons or doctrines contained any legend of a god known as the Fool.
Nor did the being before him behave much like the sinister entities normally described as evil gods.
Combined with the honorific name he’d just heard, Tony could think of two possibilities.
Either the Fool was a newly arisen deity whose faith had not yet spread widely through the world, or he was an ancient god who had only recently awakened after being forgotten by humanity.
Either possibility could prove enormously valuable to Tony.
The reference to Merlin and magic within the honorific name also caught his attention.
Tony knew a little about the legends surrounding Merlin, though only from popular stories.
He would have JARVIS research the subject properly once he returned.
The professor of mythology he’d recently invited should also be arriving soon.
Perhaps Tony could consult him as well.
Kez quietly observed their reactions.
He had expected Tony to be the more skeptical of the two and Wanda to react with greater awe, yet the reality had turned out to be almost the exact opposite.
He didn’t dwell on it.
Kez continued explaining the ritual.
“After reciting the honorific name, say:
“‘I pray for your aid.’
“‘I pray for your favor.'”
“Then place whatever you wish to transfer in the center of the ritual formation. I will receive it from here and, when necessary, bestow it upon the intended recipient through the same ritual.”
Once he finished, Kez looked at both of them.
“Lady Hermit. Mr. High Priestess. Have you remembered everything?”
Tony and Wanda nodded.
Each of them silently reviewed the procedure once more, causing the information to appear on paper before them within the palace.
“We have. We’ll test the ritual after we return.”
Kez nodded.
“When the time comes, I will bestow your potions through this ritual and help you take your first step onto the Pathways.”
Tony and Wanda immediately answered with respectful gratitude.
“Thank you for your generosity. We will follow your will.”
Kez looked between them.
His tone relaxed slightly.
“The rest of the gathering is yours. Is there anything either of you wishes to share?”
Tony thought for a moment.
“The United States military already possesses some information on Beyonder Characteristics, and there are almost certainly Beyonders working under them.”
“I’d assume the other major powers have their own Beyonders as well, though I have no idea what Sequences they’ve reached.”
He turned slightly toward Wanda.
“I also don’t know how those governments treat Beyonders. So, Ms. Hermit, once you become one, I’d advise you not to advertise it too openly. Drawing unnecessary attention could cause problems.”
Wanda nodded.
“Thank you for the warning.”
She had no idea whether Sokovia’s government knew anything about Beyonders.
She was only an ordinary civilian there, far removed from anyone who would have access to such information.
But Tony’s words did tell her something.
The High Priestess wasn’t merely wealthy.
He also had connections reaching into the upper levels of the United States government.
Compared with that, Wanda found herself somewhat embarrassed.
She thought for a while and realized she had almost nothing useful to contribute.
Eventually, she asked a question instead.
“I’m curious about something.”
“There are twenty-two Pathways, and each of them has nine Sequences that you’ve told us about. That means there shouldn’t be only a handful of Beyonders in the world.”
“So why is it almost impossible to find any information about them in ordinary life?”
She frowned slightly.
“It’s almost as if Beyonders and normal people live in two different worlds.”
Tony glanced toward the Fool at the head of the bronze table.
His thoughts briefly went to Kez Merlin, the Fool’s Blessed who openly ran an occult shop in Queens.
After considering Wanda’s question, Tony answered.
“Some Beyonders probably hide themselves behind perfectly ordinary professions.”
“A few people around them may know something is unusual, but most probably never notice.”
He shrugged.
“And it’s not like a Beyonder walks around with I HAVE SUPERNATURAL POWERS written across their forehead.”
“Governments don’t appear to require them to register separately or wear some kind of identification announcing what they are, either. So it’s hardly surprising that ordinary people don’t know.”
Tony continued, “Beyonders are also extremely specialized talent. I’d imagine plenty of government departments would be willing to pay very well to recruit them.”
He smiled faintly.
“If I’d known people like this existed before Afghanistan, I probably would’ve hired a few myself.”
Wanda thought about it and found the explanation convincing.
Beyonders weren’t celebrities.
They had no reason to stand beneath spotlights and make sure the entire world knew who they were.
Once their conversation came to a natural end, Kez swept his gaze across the table.
“If neither of you has anything else to share, then today’s gathering will end here.”
“As you wish.”
Kez moved one finger.
The connections to their crimson stars were severed, and both figures dissolved from the palace above the gray fog.
Silence returned to the vast hall.
Kez looked across the empty bronze table and thought about what he had learned.
This world’s understanding of the twenty-two Pathways and Beyonder Characteristics was still in its earliest stages.
Governments and powerful organizations had begun experimenting with them, but ordinary people knew almost nothing.
For the Tarot Club’s next member, Kez wanted someone who actually understood Beyonders to some extent.
Preferably an existing Beyonder.
The only question was what background they would come from.
The military?
S.H.I.E.L.D.?
HYDRA?
Kamar-Taj?
The Inhumans?
A witch?
A sorcerer?
Or simply some unaffiliated Beyonder who had stumbled across a Characteristic and survived?
There was no point guessing.
He would find out when he eventually pulled someone in.
His second identity also needed to become a priority.
There were too many things that sounded inappropriate coming directly from the Fool.
Certain pieces of information needed an intermediary, and directly bargaining for personal profit would undermine the image Kez was trying to maintain.
A separate persona would solve both problems neatly.
“I need to speed up the recovery of those Characteristics…”
Kez sighed.
Spirituality wrapped around his body as he simulated the sensation of plunging rapidly downward, allowing his spirit to leave Sefirah Castle and return to reality.
…
Sokovia.
Wanda looked at the alarm clock on her desk and carefully reviewed everything she had learned during the gathering.
“Mr. Fool’s ritual needs silver-white candles, salmon, grapes, a black rose, a yellow peony, red wine, baijiu, whiskey, vodka… and a silver ritual dagger.”
She mentally calculated the shopping list.
“Looks like the credit card is taking a hit. Getting all of that together is going to take some time.”
She smiled despite herself.
“Good thing Mr. High Priestess owes me a hundred thousand dollars. Otherwise, this would actually hurt.”
The thought that she was about to become a Beyonder put Wanda in an excellent mood.
She tucked the Mystery Pryer Characteristic safely into her pocket, grabbed her wallet, and headed for the door.
She had a great deal of shopping to do.