| SORCEROUS SIGNALS |
| Written by Michele Acker / Artwork by Lee Kuruganti |
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| Queen of Hearts |
“It’s your turn to deal Corlin, and no cheating.”
Corlin raised an eyebrow as he reached for the deck of cards. “I do not cheat.”
Gopesh shifted his bulk on the ground, lifted his snout and blew smoke through his nostrils. “Of course not. Things might
get exciting if you cheated once in awhile and gods forbid, we wouldn’t want this game to be exciting.”
Corlin decided to ignore the dragon’s comments. Every week it was the same thing. After all these years, he would have
thought Gopesh would find something else to complain about. He shuffled the cards and dealt two to each player, the first
face down, the second, face up.
Tamia leaned over the natural rock formation that served as a table and peeked at her hidden card. “Two queens? Good
start, now if you keep dealing me cards like that, I might just win a hand,” she said, her bare breasts jiggling as she
laughed.
Corlin paid little attention to her banter. She was a fine looking female, but he had no taste for equine flesh. “Tamia, you
know better than to reveal your hand this early in the game.”
Orna grinned, revealing long, blood-red fangs that contrasted oddly with her green skin. “I think she cares less for the
game and more for the chase.” She looked at her cards and sighed. “I bet five ducats.”
“Five, is that all? Where’s your sense of adventure?” Gopesh rumbled, sliding a claw under a chest scale and scratching.
“My sense of adventure? Playing poker with the three of you kind of takes it out of a girl, know what I mean?”
“Come on now honey, stop complaining. It’s your choice to be here just as much as anyone else’s.” Tamia leaned her
torso to the side and ran her finger down Corlin’s face. “Besides, I for one, enjoy our little –– sessions.”
Gopesh sighed, a deep-throated rumble that sounded like a vomiting gryphon. “Leave him alone Tamia. Elves believe in
racial…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But I bet he’d change his mind if I found us a love spring.”
Orna giggled, an odd girlish sound coming from such a fearsome face. “I’m thinking in that case, it wouldn’t be his mind
that changed. You know,” she said, pretending to look under the table. “I’ve never seen him naked. Perhaps he doesn’t
possess that most important of male organs.”
Laughter erupted around the table. Corlin ignored the quips; he had long ago grown accustomed to them. His studied lack
of emotion was a constant joke.
Besides Tamia,” Orna continued, “a love spring has never been found. I believe they’re just legends.”
Gopesh snorted, blowing a cloud of smoke across the table. “Actually, that’s incorrect. I’ve recently discovered the
location of one.”
Corlin lifted his head in surprise; this was a new development, one he had not counted on. Why was he suddenly afraid?
“That changes everything,” Tamia said, more serious than she had been all evening. “Let’s make this game a little more
interesting shall we? Instead of playing for money, let’s play for favors. Whoever wins this hand, wins the right to request
a favor of any one of the other three. Agreed?” The other players nodded, intrigued by this new twist to an otherwise dull
game. Corlin reluctantly agreed. Everyone knew what would happen if Tamia won.
“Gopesh?” Tamia asked. “Call or fold?”
“I call,” Gopesh said, his voice rumbling with suppressed laughter.
“I call as well. Corlin?”
Corlin took a moment to study his cards, a ten and an ace, both diamonds. Considering what Tamia had, his chances of
winning were slim. If he folded, he could not avoid the fate she had in mind, so he might as well stay in the game and see
what happened. “I call.”
He dealt each player a new card. Orna received a two of clubs for her three of spades, and Gopesh a five of diamonds for
his five of hearts, Tamia another queen and himself a Jack of diamonds. This game was getting tense. Tamia already had
three of a kind. Unless he filled in his two missing cards, he had no chance at all.
“I fold,” Orna said, sitting back with a grin to watch the game’s outcome.
“I fold too,” rumbled Gopesh. “They don’t need us anymore. We’re just a distraction for the true game.”
Corlin ignored the others; they were having far too much fun at his expense. They knew he was doomed and so did he.
This banter regarding Tamia’s advances towards him had been going on for years, so why did the outcome of this one
game suddenly become so important?
“Deal the next round,” Tamia said.
He swallowed and with shaking fingers, turned over the next two cards, a ten of spades for her, the king of diamonds for
him. There was still a chance. All he needed was the queen of diamonds. Her hidden card was a queen, but which one?
She was already showing the queen of clubs and the queen of spades. Did she have it? Had she already won?
Corlin looked up into eyes bright with lust and something more — loneliness, fear? Fear that she might lose? Did she really
care for him? All this time he had thought her comments only a joke, but what if he were wrong? He took a moment to
really look at her. She was very pretty, long dark hair, pert, upright breasts and a slim waist. As long as he ignored the
barrel-chested body, the four slim legs that ended in hooves, the long, swishing tail and the hair that covered it all, he could
almost imagine her as an elf maiden. Maybe losing would not be so bad after all.
Turning back to the game, he dealt the next cards, the jack of spades for her, the queen of diamonds for him. The game
was his, he had won. He stood and reached down to flip over his first card. “Royal Flush. I win.”
Amidst the congratulations and the laughing questions about his favor, he glanced at Tamia. Head bowed, shoulders
slumped, she looked more upset than he had ever seen her.
“No jokes, Tamia? No congratulations?”
Tamia turned her head and Corlin was surprised to see tears sparkling in her eyes.
Tears? For him? When was the last time anyone had cried for him? He could not remember, perhaps no one ever had. All
of a sudden, his elven mask of self-restraint slipped.
She straightened her shoulders and gave him a tentative smile. “Congratulations. Now who will you ask the favor of?”
Up until this point, he had not considered what would happen if he won. What would he ask? What did he need? Then he
thought about Tamia’s tears and suddenly the answer was clear. Over the years of association with these creatures, he
had come to understand that perhaps elven ways were not the only ways, or even the best ways. Winning this game had
given him an insight into feelings he was not aware he had. It had taught him that love and caring were more important
than any false consideration of racial purity.
He returned her smile. “I think you and I should ask Gopesh the location of that love spring.” Seeing the look in her eyes
and feeling the sudden quickening of his heart, he knew he'd done the right thing.
Once Gopesh gave them the information, Corlin reached out, grasped Tamia’s hand in his and the two of them started to
walk away. Before they left the clearing, Corlin turned back to look at his stunned and silent friends. “Same time next
week?”
Corlin raised an eyebrow as he reached for the deck of cards. “I do not cheat.”
Gopesh shifted his bulk on the ground, lifted his snout and blew smoke through his nostrils. “Of course not. Things might
get exciting if you cheated once in awhile and gods forbid, we wouldn’t want this game to be exciting.”
Corlin decided to ignore the dragon’s comments. Every week it was the same thing. After all these years, he would have
thought Gopesh would find something else to complain about. He shuffled the cards and dealt two to each player, the first
face down, the second, face up.
Tamia leaned over the natural rock formation that served as a table and peeked at her hidden card. “Two queens? Good
start, now if you keep dealing me cards like that, I might just win a hand,” she said, her bare breasts jiggling as she
laughed.
Corlin paid little attention to her banter. She was a fine looking female, but he had no taste for equine flesh. “Tamia, you
know better than to reveal your hand this early in the game.”
Orna grinned, revealing long, blood-red fangs that contrasted oddly with her green skin. “I think she cares less for the
game and more for the chase.” She looked at her cards and sighed. “I bet five ducats.”
“Five, is that all? Where’s your sense of adventure?” Gopesh rumbled, sliding a claw under a chest scale and scratching.
“My sense of adventure? Playing poker with the three of you kind of takes it out of a girl, know what I mean?”
“Come on now honey, stop complaining. It’s your choice to be here just as much as anyone else’s.” Tamia leaned her
torso to the side and ran her finger down Corlin’s face. “Besides, I for one, enjoy our little –– sessions.”
Gopesh sighed, a deep-throated rumble that sounded like a vomiting gryphon. “Leave him alone Tamia. Elves believe in
racial…”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But I bet he’d change his mind if I found us a love spring.”
Orna giggled, an odd girlish sound coming from such a fearsome face. “I’m thinking in that case, it wouldn’t be his mind
that changed. You know,” she said, pretending to look under the table. “I’ve never seen him naked. Perhaps he doesn’t
possess that most important of male organs.”
Laughter erupted around the table. Corlin ignored the quips; he had long ago grown accustomed to them. His studied lack
of emotion was a constant joke.
Besides Tamia,” Orna continued, “a love spring has never been found. I believe they’re just legends.”
Gopesh snorted, blowing a cloud of smoke across the table. “Actually, that’s incorrect. I’ve recently discovered the
location of one.”
Corlin lifted his head in surprise; this was a new development, one he had not counted on. Why was he suddenly afraid?
“That changes everything,” Tamia said, more serious than she had been all evening. “Let’s make this game a little more
interesting shall we? Instead of playing for money, let’s play for favors. Whoever wins this hand, wins the right to request
a favor of any one of the other three. Agreed?” The other players nodded, intrigued by this new twist to an otherwise dull
game. Corlin reluctantly agreed. Everyone knew what would happen if Tamia won.
“Gopesh?” Tamia asked. “Call or fold?”
“I call,” Gopesh said, his voice rumbling with suppressed laughter.
“I call as well. Corlin?”
Corlin took a moment to study his cards, a ten and an ace, both diamonds. Considering what Tamia had, his chances of
winning were slim. If he folded, he could not avoid the fate she had in mind, so he might as well stay in the game and see
what happened. “I call.”
He dealt each player a new card. Orna received a two of clubs for her three of spades, and Gopesh a five of diamonds for
his five of hearts, Tamia another queen and himself a Jack of diamonds. This game was getting tense. Tamia already had
three of a kind. Unless he filled in his two missing cards, he had no chance at all.
“I fold,” Orna said, sitting back with a grin to watch the game’s outcome.
“I fold too,” rumbled Gopesh. “They don’t need us anymore. We’re just a distraction for the true game.”
Corlin ignored the others; they were having far too much fun at his expense. They knew he was doomed and so did he.
This banter regarding Tamia’s advances towards him had been going on for years, so why did the outcome of this one
game suddenly become so important?
“Deal the next round,” Tamia said.
He swallowed and with shaking fingers, turned over the next two cards, a ten of spades for her, the king of diamonds for
him. There was still a chance. All he needed was the queen of diamonds. Her hidden card was a queen, but which one?
She was already showing the queen of clubs and the queen of spades. Did she have it? Had she already won?
Corlin looked up into eyes bright with lust and something more — loneliness, fear? Fear that she might lose? Did she really
care for him? All this time he had thought her comments only a joke, but what if he were wrong? He took a moment to
really look at her. She was very pretty, long dark hair, pert, upright breasts and a slim waist. As long as he ignored the
barrel-chested body, the four slim legs that ended in hooves, the long, swishing tail and the hair that covered it all, he could
almost imagine her as an elf maiden. Maybe losing would not be so bad after all.
Turning back to the game, he dealt the next cards, the jack of spades for her, the queen of diamonds for him. The game
was his, he had won. He stood and reached down to flip over his first card. “Royal Flush. I win.”
Amidst the congratulations and the laughing questions about his favor, he glanced at Tamia. Head bowed, shoulders
slumped, she looked more upset than he had ever seen her.
“No jokes, Tamia? No congratulations?”
Tamia turned her head and Corlin was surprised to see tears sparkling in her eyes.
Tears? For him? When was the last time anyone had cried for him? He could not remember, perhaps no one ever had. All
of a sudden, his elven mask of self-restraint slipped.
She straightened her shoulders and gave him a tentative smile. “Congratulations. Now who will you ask the favor of?”
Up until this point, he had not considered what would happen if he won. What would he ask? What did he need? Then he
thought about Tamia’s tears and suddenly the answer was clear. Over the years of association with these creatures, he
had come to understand that perhaps elven ways were not the only ways, or even the best ways. Winning this game had
given him an insight into feelings he was not aware he had. It had taught him that love and caring were more important
than any false consideration of racial purity.
He returned her smile. “I think you and I should ask Gopesh the location of that love spring.” Seeing the look in her eyes
and feeling the sudden quickening of his heart, he knew he'd done the right thing.
Once Gopesh gave them the information, Corlin reached out, grasped Tamia’s hand in his and the two of them started to
walk away. Before they left the clearing, Corlin turned back to look at his stunned and silent friends. “Same time next
week?”
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