Taking a deep breath, Hazel shuffled the cards before she laid them face down on the table while forming a Celtic cross.
The two casters moved closer in order to observe the girl as she began turning the cards over.
She first turned the first card which reflected her question.
Her eyes widened as she drew The Fool, which was depicted with a man standing on the edge of a precipice, bag and rose in hand and with a dog snapping at his legs.
"A choice must be made..." Hazel muttered to herself.
Drawing the second card which influenced on the question, Hazel's breath hitched. "Reversed moon... only means confusion will reign which will cause mistakes."
"It seemed things are not looking good." Sorrel commented as worry etched on her face.
The third card which was the background revealed to be The Chariot.
"Drawn by two wild creatures, the chariot symbolizes the will. This is a card of challenge." Hazel breathed out. "Obstacles will be overcome by seeing what has to be done."
"Hazel needs to choose carefully." Zeke commented while observing the cards.
The fourth card which represent the recent past had the Reversed Magician.
"Unreliability and manipulative nature." Hazel mused. "This must be pointing to that devious King Bulrush of Azalea."
The preceding cards presaged ill luck. For the present which was the fifth card, the reversed Emperor came out.
"A warning that trouble is coming." Hazel flinched as she put the card down. Her hand shook as she touched the sixth card which represented the future.
Her eyes widened when she set her eyes on the card. The card tumbled down as it slipped from her trembling fingers.
The two hovering forms came and looked at the card which made Hazel pale for a few minutes.
"It's a reversed tower." Zeke cringed. "It only meant chaos is about to break."
"No wonder Hazel looked scared." Sorrel commented and tried to hug the younger girl. But like earlier, her hands passed through.
Hazel seemed to get over her initial shock. She motioned the card that fell down to come back to her.
Once she retrieved it, she laid it down and she resumed revealing the remaining cards.
The seventh card which hinted on the attitude to face the question, revealed The Hanged man.
"The card of sacrifice." The girl muttered before turning over the next card. "Something or someone needed to sacrifice for the benefit of long term goal. This might alter the eventual outcome later on."
"Eight card, perspective... The devil." Hazel gasped out. "Something unavoidable looms. Does this mean the upcoming war that I've been seeing for a while? Or does this pertain to the visions of the princess dying before my eyes? I just hope I can do something to change this."
Hazel revealed the ninth card which reflects the pros and cons. It turned out to be The Wheel of Fortune.
"So there is still hope." Hazel said with a faint smile. "There's an opportunity. I just need to figure out what I had to do."
Though hesitant to see the eventual outcome, Hazel decided to reveal the last card. Her breath hitched as The Grim Reaper.
"The card of death!" Hazel instantly stood up from her seat and stormed out of the secret room.
Both Zeke and Sorrel were not able to stop her. All of the sudden, the room began swirling around and dissolved into darkness.
From where the two casters were standing, they could hear the voices of two males arguing.
"I believe one of the voices belong to King Fennel." Zeke said while he blindly navigated towards the direction of the voice.
From behind him, light flickered. Puzzled he turned to see Sorrel made a fireball on her right palm.
"No one's going to see it." she shrugged and held out the yellowish flame.
They walked through the narrowed path and saw Hazel who was spying on the throne room.
"I will not allow my daughter to suffer!" King Fennel's voice rang through the entire room.
"I won't force you, your majesty." The other male voice said. "But just to remind you, once you broke our agreement, a war might break."
"That would be King Bulrush." Zeke muttered under his breath. "So this is the reason why Hazel was not able to contact me.
"Do not jump into conclusions yet. The plot may thicken after this." Sorrel incised. They would have listened farther on the argument but Hazel left hastily.
Following her, the two found themselves inside the secret chamber where Hazel had been pacing back and forth. "What do I do? Either way, I had foreseen the death of the princess."
Hazel stopped her pacing and opened a grimoire from one of the shelves.
"I really hope that this could save her. I will have to do this even if it will cost me my life later on." Hazel said with conviction.
Hazel read through the grimoire. Both Sorrel and Zeke tried to peek on the book but couldn't catch the words. The pages were blank and words appeared for a mere second before they disappeared.
Before the two casters could find out what Hazel was planning to do, the room was engulfed by darkness.
They were surprised as the clock struck midnight. Then they found themselves in a room where Hazel had drawn a pentagram. The lady-in-waiting seemed a little anxious.
Then, Lily cheerfully sauntered inside the room. She was rather excited to have her spell casting lesson. However, when she took note of her instructor's face, she became worried.
Hazel allowed her to sit and then she spilled her plans.
"My lady, if I had the choice, I would never allow you to do this. But with the coming attack, there will be a chance that I might fail to protect you. Hence you need to defend yourself. If we manage to activate you circuits, you will be able to cast spells that could make you survive."
Both Zeke and Sorrel's eyes bulged out as they grasped Hazel's plan.
"That would be impossible!" Zeke gasped out. "The princess doesn't have a spec of magic in her blood."
"But I could feel an active circuit in her body." Sorrel cut in.
Since they can't do anything to stop Hazel, they were forced to observe the process.
Hazel let the girl lie down at the core of the pentagram she had made. Using a sacrificial blade which was shaped like a crescent, Hazel drew her own blood and let a few drops fall into the princess's lips.
Hazel began singing the incantation which made the pentagram glow red. The princess's eyes glazed over as the changes began. She began tossing and turning before her body remain at rest on the floor.
"It is now up to you to pass the test." Hazel mumbled as she kissed the girl's forehead.
"No wonder, I could sense Hazel's faint presence in that child." Sorrel commented. "She used her own blood as catalyst for the awakening.
"Isn't this a discovery?" Zeke said in amazement. "Hazel and Lily successfully activated Lily's caster's circuit. What we have been taught might have been wrong after all."
The two suddenly jumped as Hazel left in panic. "Oh drats! They are attacking! I have to save the King and the Queen."
The pair stalked after Hazel who ran towards the throne room. But before they could reach it, they heard the Queen's screams. Following the voice, Hazel took off and entered a secret passage to the study.
Despite wanting to save the King and the Queen, Hazel was not able to do anything but watch in horror from the trapdoor.
She was about to open the door but stopped just in time to see the blade came down. It cut through the Queen's chest, spilling and splattering her blood on the floor and on the bookshelves.
Hazel clasped her hands to her mouth to keep herself from screaming at the scene. The other two observers had to endure watching the horrifying murder as well.
They watched as King Fennel caught his dead wife with his left hand. He drew his sword using his right hand and fought the men. But he was greatly outnumbered.
Before falling, the King's eyes locked with Hazel. There was a silent command saying to protect his daughter. The King's eyes widened as the blade drove right through his skull.
A loud shriek followed.