"Our hope is for justice, and therefore I set Sanctuary's tribunal here-"Illyra's voice had a rhythmic resonance, and her eyes seemed to look through thecard to some other reality. Gilla realized that the S'danzo was Seeing them astruly as ever she had in a querent's reading, and she wondered suddenly if inchoosing just these cards for Lalo to paint first, Illyra had been guided bysomething more than chance, and if her selection of them now was the result ofher will to vengeance, or some subtle working of that Pattern Illyra had denied.
Gilla shivered, for now the S'danzo was wholly entranced, and she felt aheaviness in the air around them as if unseen forces waited around her to seewhat the final card would be. The magic of the mages had been broken, but,clearly, she and Illyra were drawing now upon deeper powers.
Without looking at the cards still in the pile, Illyra took one and set it aboveall the rest. Gilla stared at it, her gaze burned by swirling patterns of redand gold, and the beauty of a woman's face staring out of the flames. Even seenupside down that face seared the sight. She forced her gaze away and saw theappalled wonder in Illyra's eyes.
"What is she?" Gilla asked hoarsely.
"The Eight of Flames-the Lady of Fire whose touch can warm or destroy!"
"What will She do to Sanctuary?"
Illyra was shaking her head. "I do not know. I have never drawn Her reversed ina reading before. Oh, Gilla-" The S'danzo's face twisted in a terrible smile. "Idid not choose this card!"
In the days that followed, the Lady of Fire came to Sanctuary, not in bolts offlame from heaven as Gilla and Illyra had expected, but silently, insidiously,