Book 1: Gemaris Island

Chapter 2: The Divination House

Ora had not made it far from Marietta's Studio when she stumbled upon a strange little house, just on the other side of the stone clearing.

It almost seemed to be leaning to one side, but Ora wasn't sure. On top of its midnight blue roof sat a gold crescent moon studded with sapphires. On the side of the house was a blue homemade canopy connected to the house, forming a tent. Ora found herself climbing the three small front steps of the porch and rapping on the door which was also azure with a gold crescent moon.

The entrance was swung open by a tall-ish man with a short black beard and eyes bluer than the sapphires that bejeweled his house. He was wearing a dark blue vest over a white dress shirt and his fingers which rested on the doorpost were decorated in golden rings. Ora wasn't expecting a man like this to answer the door, but then again, she had not known what to expect at all.

The man didn't say anything, but nodded as if to say...well, Ora didn't really know. The nod could have meant, "Get on with it already" as well as "Good day to you." Ora squinted as she calculated the rest of his body language intently. The man was wearing black leather boots, and his legs were crossed as he leaned against the door, seeming to wait impatiently for the solicitor or visitor or whatever to go away. He was blinking his long eyelashes rather rapidly and he seemed to be gritting his teeth.

Ora finally decided that the nod had meant "Get on with it already," but she had spent a few long awkward seconds analyzing his posture instead of...getting on with it already.

Desperate to keep the man waiting for not one second longer, Ora quickly spoke, but was too late. They had both said something at the same time and immediately stopped to let the other speak.

But then neither of them spoke because they were trying to let the other person speak.

"Well?" the man finally demanded, nodding again more aggressively.

"Do you live here or work here?" Ora blurted out, curiously.

"Both," he said curtly. "Do you have an appointment?"

"Oh...no," Ora replied, a bit bashfully.

"Well I don't take walk-ins. You can sign up for an appointment on the poster there," he said, pointing to a sheet of parchment next to the door. Ora hadn't even noticed it.

"I don't want to set up an appointment," she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Then why are you here?" the man asked, his voice exasperated but his eyes soulless as a dead animal's.

"I was just passing by and I wondered who lived in this house," Ora said, gazing up at the roof again.

"Why?" the man asked, squinting. "Do you think my house is strange?"

Ora hesitated. "Actually, yes. That's exactly the word I would use to describe it," she said with wide eyes, suddenly hiding all expression. "But strange in a good way."

"Strange...in a good way..." the man bobbed his head again, befuddled by Ora's words.

"I think your house is lovely, sir!" Ora said enthusiastically, trying to diffuse the situation.

"Lovely," the man scoffed, his arm still resting carelessly on the doorpost.

"It's. INTRIGUING," Ora muttered through her teeth.

"Good. I like people to be intrigued by the things I make," the man suddenly said, finally standing up straight and rubbing his hands together. "You're the only one," he added.

Ora recoiled in confusion. "I'm the only one?"

"Who appreciates what I make," the man repeated.

"You made this house?" Ora asked with a surprised smile.

The man cocked his head and squinted at her with utter confusion in his dark blue eyes.

"Yes..." he hissed slowly and dully.

He sounded like he was going to go on, but he stopped there, and glared at Ora with a completely disinterested expression. In that moment, Ora forgot what they had been talking about completely, and wished to A frog nearby croaked loudly, as if to comment on the uncomfortable silence that now sat in the air.

"What's your name?" she suddenly blurted out, hoping to receive an actual answer instead of another bored look.

"Again," he said monotonously, pointing his finger to the parchment paper hanging by the door.

He started to say something about how he didn't take walk-ins, but Ora interrupted him.

"Your name's Again?" she scoffed, biting her tongue to hold back her laughter.

The man's stubbled jaw dropped as he kept his head turned towards the poster and refused to face the girl. Then he finally closed his mouth and turned to glare at Ora.

"Roses have thorns," he whispered, shaking his head. "Roses. Have. Thorns."

He turned around and swung the door closed behind him.

"Wait!" Ora yelled, realizing she shouldn't have made fun of the man.

I couldn't help it, she thought sheepishly.

What did he mean "Roses have thorns"? Could it be that he was calling Ora a thorn in the side? Or maybe, he was calling her a rose! A rose that had bothersome thorns.

Either way, Ora finally looked at the poster on the wall and read it aloud thoroughly.

"Master Amien's Divination House. Sign up for a meeting with the seer and discover your destiny," she said loudly.

Then there followed a rather short list of names and times.

"Pfff! What a load of hogwash!" Ora laughed, throwing her scarf behind her back.

The door burst open again, shocking Ora and causing her to quickly inch backwards a bit. This time, the man closed the door behind him and leaned against the door, crossing his arms and glaring into Ora's soul. He was clearly offended.

"Look...M...Master Amien?" Ora stuttered, struggling to call the man "Master" while keeping a straight face. She stepped backward again, wondering if maybe this was not the place for her. But then, she had declared that her mission was to bring joy to, really, any person with whom she crossed paths.

"I didn't mean it-" Ora tried to explain. But she took one too many steps backward and began to stumble down the porch steps.

She hadn't made it far though, because Amien had started to move forward and caught her before she could stumble at all. He pulled her back onto the porch and shook his head, scoffing and turning away from her.

"I knew that was going to happen," he said, placing his hands on his hips.

"You did not!" Ora snapped back. "Just because you're a seer-"

"I don't mean because I'm a seer!" he said, aggravated by the ungrateful girl. "I mean I knew that was going to happen because you were walking backwards, which is never a smart thing to do!"

Ora groaned and rolled her eyes. "Look, Master Amien. My name is...Ora Ember and I'm wondering if I can...help you with anything maybe?"

She was so unsure of what she was doing.

"Nope," he shrugged. "Thanks for offering, I guess?"

He opened the door to retreat back inside, but Ora stopped him.

"I notice that you don't have many appointments on your schedule," Ora quickly said. "Why is that?"

"Most of my appointments are with visitors from other islands," Amien quickly replied. "And so, because of the king's latest decision to make traveling between islands more difficult than sailing the seas, business has been rather difficult for me lately."

Amien said this while masking his frustration and trying hard to brush it off. But Ora could tell he was irritated. Most of all, though, she was confused.

"What do you mean he's made traveling between islands more difficult?" Ora asked, worriedly.

"Where have you been?" Amien scoffed in disbelief. "It's been at least a week now since King Reignald destroyed all but one or two Mirror Gates on every island!"

Ora stopped. Her jaw dropped, but she closed it back up quickly.

"And you...obviously aren't happy with him, are you?" Ora asked, though she knew the answer.

"Why would I be unhappy about it?" Amien said sarcastically, throwing his hands out. "I might go out of business, that's all!"

"Is this the first decision the king has made that you have been unhappy about?" Ora suddenly asked.

Amien tensed up and peered at her suspiciously.

"Why are you asking me that?"

"I'm...just curious."

"Do you think I have a problem with the king because of this one decision?" Amien asked, sounding almost disgusted.

"No, but this one decision seems to be ruining your business, which might ruin your life!" Ora insisted.

"I'll just stick with teaching," Amien mumbled.

"You teach?" Ora asked, leaning her head forward as she gripped her umbrella with two hands.

"Yes," Amien nodded. "I teach young and old children, although the older children seem less interested in what I have to say in class."

Amien had no idea why he was telling her all this.

"What do you teach?" Ora asked curiously.

"I teach about magic and rare animals. And reading, too," Amien rambled.

"Wait. You teach magic? How can the kids not be interested in learning magic?" Ora asked, smiling with confusion.

"Ugh! I don't know! Because they're kids and kids are stupid! Now do you want to sign up for an appointment or not? First one's free! The rest are not! What's it going to be, Miss Ember?"

Startled by his outburst, Ora collected her thoughts before replying, "Kids are not stupid."

Amien looked at her sideways while squinting.

"I'm...pretty sure they are actually," he said, again with sarcasm.

"Well, it's your job to teach them not to be!" Ora shot back. "And they're smarter than you think."

"Fine," Amien shrugged. He seemed to be stepping back into his house and maybe grabbing the door to close it again.

"Can I have my free appointment right now?" Ora asked quickly, clutching her umbrella in excitement.

"...Why can't you sign up and wait?" Amien sighed through his teeth, gripping the front door.

"Well, are you doing anything right now?" Ora whined.

"Yes. I'm getting ready for class!" he replied.

"Alright, I'll make a deal with you," Ora perked up.

"I don't do deals."

Amien started closing the door.

"Oh, come on! Anyone can make a deal when it's a deal they want to make. Hear me out!" Ora pushed the door open with her hand this time.

Amien groaned loudly and stared at her, waiting.

"If you give me my free session now, I'll help you with class," Ora stated, standing up tall and confidently.

"What do you know about teaching?" Amien asked, unimpressed.

"I just so happen to be a theater story writer and director," Ora replied.

After a long pause of realization, Amien's manner changed completely. He stopped slouching, blinked rapidly, and cleared his throat.

"Really?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course I am!" Ora laughed in irritation. "In fact, I just put on a theater story less than an hour ago right in this stone clearing! Why didn't you come to it? I'm sure you were invited!"

Amien suddenly bit his lip in hesitation.

"I did come to it," he mumbled. "I left right before the wanted writer came out on stage, because I had to start getting ready for class."

Ora did not expect this answer. In truth, this entire conversation was a surprise to her. "What did you think?" she asked, rubbing her arm nervously.

Amien exhaled through his nose. "It was...unexpected."

The girl couldn't decide if she should become defensive or flattered, so her face took the defensive side while her words sided with flattery.

"Well...thank you," she said sweetly while glaring at him.

"Don't be offended. My only complaint was that it was too short. I wanted more," he shrugged. "I admit. It was a good story. Well done. Well-acted. Great sets. Interesting dialogue."

"I was one of the actresses. Did you notice that?" Ora smirked, shrugging a bit.

Amien eyed her. "Oh! That's why you look so familiar! You played Raven."

"Yes."

Suddenly, Amien glanced at his copper pocket watch and gasped.

"Alright. It's a deal. Except I'll give you your free session after class, because it's starting now," he said quickly.

Without warning, Amien grabbed Ora's wrist and nearly yanked her down the front steps. They made their way to the side of the house where the spacious tent was, and Amien told her to put her suitcase down anywhere. Inside the tent there were pillows and blankets neatly set up on the ground, all midnight blue and violet with gold patterns. On the wall of Amien's house was a giant piece of parchment and there was a unicorn drawn on it with all its different body parts labeled.

"So I guess you're the teacher for today," Amien said, plopping down on a pillow in the back of the tent. He was almost smiling with amusement.

"You're just going to let me lead the class?" Ora asked, turning red.

"Yes! Do whatever you want! In fact, teach them how to act since that is your specialty. I'll be very surprised if you can get them to actually act well. Believe it or not, I've tried to teach them that every now and then, but I dare say, it's hopeless." Amien let out a laugh, shaking his head.

"You just don't know how to teach them," Ora insisted. "It's not a hopeless cause. I'll show you how it's done."

She said all this sincerely and professionally, but of course, Amien took it offensively.

"Oh, alright 'Miss Ember!' I'll sit here and watch you 'teach' but good luck getting them to sit still listen to you!" Amien said, mockingly.

Ora rolled her eyes just as the first few students scurried into the tent. Before Ora could say anything, more students burst in, squealing and giggling as they pushed each other to get the front row cushions. Ora was completely thrown off by the commotion and chaos as Amien sat smiling at the back of the tent, completely at ease.

When all the children were finally sitting, they were still not quiet. Ora tried shushing them, but it was no use. The kids were much too hyper as they theorized about why this strange lady was trying to teach them instead of Amien.

"Who's the small blonde girl?" one boy whispered.

"I like her red dress," a young golden-hair girl smiled at her with her chin in her hands.

"Thank you. My friend made it for me," Ora smiled at her, still overwhelmed by the noise and commotion. Her hands were shaky, so she pressed them together, rubbing them nervously.

"Excuse me, students. My name is-"

Nope. Nobody was listening. The boys in particular were still chatting loudly.

Ora tried shushing them louder and whispering "Quiet! QUIET!" to every boy who opened his mouth. When nothing worked, Ora raised her head and locked eyes with Amien, pleading with him. But he just motioned with his hand to go ahead and teach. Ora scowled in response and finally snapped.

"EVERYONE BE QUIET!" Ora yelled, her voice cold as metal.

The horrified children stared up at her.

"I am your teacher today and everyone must do exactly as I say!" Ora said loudly with her hands behind her back.

"Everyone?" a young boy asked.

"First rule: Don't talk unless I call on you! And yes, everyone," Ora replied, pointing to him.

The same boy raised his hand and Ora called on him.

"Including Professor Amien?" he asked with the widest, most eager green eyes.

Ora was dumbstruck but when she eyed Amien and saw how unsure he was, she replied, "Yes. Now anyways, today you will NOT be learning about...unicorns-"

She motioned to the poster behind her and waved it away as if it was insignificant. The students snickered while Amien narrowed his eyes at the new teacher.

"Today I will be teaching you how to act," Ora enunciated. "That is, onstage. Although, a number of you would do well learning how to act offstage in general."

The girls laughed at that one.

"The best way to learn how to act is not to listen to lectures. Though you can learn a lot by observation and listening to theater stories, being thrown into one can give you a headstart in your acting career. Today, we will improvise a short theater story. Can somebody raise their hand and tell me what 'improvise' means?"

Master Amien grew concerned when Ora implied that some of these children were going to pursue "acting careers" and especially when she implied that "today" they were going to improvise and maybe "tomorrow" do something else. Amien didn't want her to stick around that long.

After a young girl defined "improvise," Ora got right into it.

She tied her cream scarf around her head so that the rose was in the front, a little off-centered.

"My character will be the new queen of the land in which you all live. My name is Queen Adira. You will all be the citizens of my kingdom. But don't just be like sheep who follow each other mindlessly. I want you all, silently in your heads, to come up with a name for your character. An occupation. A home. Where do they live? Are you a farmer, a baker, or a blacksmith? What does your character like to do? What do they like to say? What emotions and virtues are most prominent in them? Remember, you are NOT playing yourself. You are playing a different person. Do not create a character that you want to be. Create a completely new person. Alright. Are you all ready?"

Ora waited for every child in the tent to nod. Amien just sat on his cushion with his chin resting in his palm, trying hard not to look interested.

"As your new queen!" Queen Adira said loudly in a deep, harsh voice, "I shall make and change the laws as I please! Anyone who disobeys any of these laws will be punished severely! Any questions?"

The children all exchanged glances. There was a silence, but finally, one boy spoke up.

"How will we be punished?" he asked, lowering his voice to fit his character.

"What is your name, peasant?" the queen asked, almost spitting on him.

The boy was taken aback by what she had called him, but he replied.

"Erid."

"What do you do for a living, Erid?" Queen Adira immediately asked.

"I raise cattle," he said. "And I milk them every day and sell the milk."

"Erid. If you disobey any of my laws, I shall take all of your cattle away from you and you will have nothing!" Queen Adira stated, pointing to him casually.

"I worked hard to raise my cattle!" the cattle herd called Erid said angrily.

"Then you would do well to follow the laws I make," Adira said clearly, crossing her arms.

"What are your laws?" a girl asked.

"First, tell me your name, peasant girl!" the queen demanded.

The small brunette frowned and said, "I'm Elisha and I make dresses. But I don't like what I do."

Queen Adira tilted her head in wonder. "Interesting. Why don't you like making dresses, Elisha?"

"Because I'm forced to!" she pouted.

"So you don't like being told what to do?" Adira asked.

"That's right," Elisha nodded.

"Well get used to doing what you're told. Because if you disobey any one of my laws, I shall turn you into a slave and you will be forced to do everything I say!"

"What are your laws?" Elisha asked again.

Queen Adira paused as she crossed the room slowly, straightening her "crown."

"My first and foremost law is: do whatever I saw and do it fast. Even if you don't want to do it," Adira said calmly with her fingers together.

The children all grimaced and turned to one another shaking their heads.

"Rule number two: everyone shall give me half of the money they make each week," Ora said.

"Half of our money?!" the peasants shrieked.

There was an uproar as the citizens shouted in protest, claiming that the queen's laws were unfair and "stupid."

"SILENCE!" Queen Adira screamed, much like how Ora screamed at the beginning of class.

The children went silent again, but this time, they were angry. Not scared.

"The third and final law is: Whoever questions these laws or says anything against them shall be executed!" Queen Adira said this with fire in her eyes and determination in her voice.

Again, nobody spoke. Ora almost snapped out of character as she became worried that not one child would stand up to her.

Finally, Elisha the dress-maker stood up from her cushion and said, "I will not follow your rules!"

Queen Adira widened her bright eyes and flared her nostrils at the child.

"What. Did. You. Say?" she muttered, clenching her teeth and her fists.

"I won't' follow your rules and neither will anyone else!" Elisha yelled.

She turned to face her fellow citizens.

"Are you going to let her control your lives and steal your money?" she asked them.

"No!" several students yelled, getting to their feet.

The defeated queen stammered, trying to figure out what to say.

"What are you going to do? You can't defy me!" she yelled.

"We just did!" Elisha shouted.

"I am still the queen! You cannot take my crown! You will do as I say!"

The children glanced at her crown and then at Elisha, who nodded.

Without warning, the peasants tackled the queen to the ground, screaming. Adira covered her head with her arms, but the children grabbed them and ripped off her crown. A boy held it up in the air and shouted, victoriously.

Amien suddenly began clapping as he stood up from his seat.

"Down with the witch!" he shouted with a smile on his face.

Ora couldn't help but crack a smile. The children cheered again.

"Alright. The story's over, kids. Give me back my crown," Ora said in her normal voice.

She snatched her scarf out of the boy's hand and wrapped it around her neck again.

"Everyone sit down and answer this question for me," she said, smiling as the children took their seats, laughing and high-fiving.

"Simmer down, kids," Ora laughed.

"She's still a bossy queen," someone murmured in the back.

Ora glanced up to see that it had been Amien who had said that to a student. He wiped his grin nervously when he met Ora's glaring eyes, but shrugged calmly, causing her to scoff. But Ora collected herself and made eye contact with each and every attentive child in the room. Everyone was staring at her, waiting to answer her question. A breeze swept through the tent and Ora saw the excitement and curiosity in the eyes of every person in the room. Including Amien.

"Raise your hand," Ora said, folding her hands, "if you believe that an unjust ruler should be stripped of his or her power."

Many hands shot in the air. All of them, in fact. Except one.

Ora saw him and the terrified look on his face. He seemed upset. And his striking dark eyes were staring at Ora. And although he was sitting down again, he looked ready to stand back up in protest. He would not raise his hand.

"Professor Amien?" Ora said, turning to him. "Do you disagree? Do you believe that an unjust ruler deserves to have power and that it should not be taken away?"

Amien sighed, refraining from taking his eyes off her. Finally, he answered her.

"I think that it's important to know how much power and how many men the king has. Or queen, in this instance," he said. "If the king is too powerful to dethrone, then it could be dangerous, and maybe completely ineffective to try and dethrone the king."

The children were all staring at Amien with puzzled faces. Ora was surprised. She didn't expect this response from the strange wizard pirate.

"Fine," she said. "Raise your hand if you believe that we should at least try to dethrone an unjust king even if he is extremely powerful."

Some of the children hesitated. The girl who had played Elisha did not. She confidently and silently raised her hand. Amien did not.

"Why do you think we should try to dethrone a very powerful king?" Ora asked the girl.

"Because if he's unjust, then he doesn't deserve to be king," the young girl replied.

"But!" Amien suddenly spoke up. "Why bother trying if he's all powerful? Unjust or not, you cannot defeat an all powerful king. If the good people are weak, then they are useless."

"I didn't say that he was all powerful. That would be impossible," Ora interrupted.

"Yes, it would be impossible to defeat an all powerful ruler," Amien quickly replied, his hand gripping his other wrist.

"No, I mean it would be impossible for him to be all powerful," Ora said, growing irritated. "Everyone can be defeated."

"Everyone? Even the good people?" Amien asked.

"Yes. Even the good people," Ora shrugged, confused.

"So what's the point of taking the evil king off the throne just to put a good king on the throne who can be taken off again and replaced with another evil king? Or maybe even the same one? It's a never ending cycle. Miss Ember."

The kids were lost at this point, and so was Ora.

"That's the risk that comes with being king, Professor. You're not all powerful. You could be stripped of the power you have at any moment," Ora quietly said, staring at him.

"And you think we should try to dethrone an unjust king no matter how powerful he is?" Amien asked.

Ora finally looked away and blinked a few times. She began biting her fingernail and pursed her lips.

"I think it also depends on how unjust he is," she answered him, but Amien could tell that she was unsure about something.

"How unjust is too unjust?" he asked without hesitation.

After a moment of tense, uncertain silence, Ora sighed, shutting her eyes.

Ora suddenly said, "Class dismissed for today. Thanks to all of you for being good students."

The students all slowly stood up and crept out of the room, glancing back and forth at Ora and Amien who continued to stare each other down.

When the last echo of the last student had faded, Ora began to speak before getting cut off by Amien.

"Why are you here, Ora?" he demanded, using her first name for the first time. He was now standing, crossing his arms all clad in leather.

Ora bit her lips, almost too hard. She wasn't sure what had come over her, but she was tired of trying to be so discreet. Just tell him, she thought to herself. You have nothing to lose. Nothing.

The girl sighed and looked at Amien hopelessly.

"I know you hate the king," she blurted out, trying to sound certain in her words. "The question is, do you hate him as much as I do?"

Amien leaned his head forward as his blue eyes grew. Suddenly, he cautiously stepped over the pillows and made his way towards her.

"Keep your voice down," he whispered to her. "I know the king's paranoid about his people turning against him. I think that's why he's limiting travel. He doesn't want people to get around so easily. He probably doesn't want people to get to him so easily."

The girl thought for a moment and then asked, "Are you afraid of trying to dethrone him?"

Amien quickly stuttered and said, "I...never said anything about dethroning him."

"I know you want him off the throne!" she murmured. "I do, too."

"Is that why you put on this little performance for me? To figure out if I hated the king? If I wanted to dethrone him? Are you looking for allies? I mean, I just don't see how you expect to defeat him. He's the king. He's got everyone on his side, Ora."

Amien rambled on quietly, constantly checking over his shoulders.

"Not everyone," Ora said.

"Who else is there? Besides you and me I mean," Amien replied.

"There are others. Do you think everyone in these islands are stupid? Obviously they have a problem with a paranoid, useless, crazy king. They just need to realize that there are other people who share that opinion. In fact, I think the opinion is more popular than it is unpopular," Ora whispered, staring at the anxious Amien.

"You'd be surprised. Everyone on this island is oblivious," Amien said, checking the opening of the tent again.

"Then let's make them aware!" she whispered louder.

"What are you going to do, Ora? It's your word against the king! He may act crazy and paranoid, but hasn't really done anything wrong except take away the Mirror Gates-"

"Then we'll start with that!" Ora sighed. "Amien! Are you against the king or not? Because sooner or later, he IS going to do something much worse than take away the Mirror Gates! I'm sure of it!?"

The pirate put his hands in his hair and paced the room slowly. He glanced at Ora and then at the ground. He sighed and paced some more. The weather outside was serene, but the two strangers were tense. All that could be heard were the sighs coming from the breeze and the wizard.

"It's useless. Alright? I've already tried to figure out how to get rid of the king. But just recently, I gave up. I have my students and you have your theater stories. Let's just-"

"I'm doing this with or without you!" she snapped. "I will go on without you, Amien."

Suddenly, Amien stopped pacing. He raised his head and saw something in Ora's blue eyes that triggered a memory in his mind. A memory that he had and hadn't experienced.

He stood staring at her for what seemed like endless minutes of undisturbed, patient silence. Ora almost kept talking, but Amien raised his ornamented hand.

"Our only chance is to find the Willow Wanderer," he said in a deep voice.

"Diamond the Willow Wanderer?" Ora said quickly.

"You know about Diamond the Willow Wanderer?" Amien asked eagerly, his moody eyes suddenly lighting up like fireworks.

"Of course. Who doesn't?" Ora answered with furrowed eyebrows. "Everyone was there when she stood up to the king."

"Yes," Amien laughed, nodding. "I think it was a brave and stupid thing for her to do."

Ora's bent eyebrows jumped up.

"I think it was mostly brave," she argued. "She is what inspired me to stop Reignald from keeping his crown. I think she did a courageous thing."

"Yes, of course. I mean, she did challenge him and he was a coward to refuse the challenge, but...I just wish she wouldn't have flown away to who knows where. That made her look like a coward," Amien muttered.

"But she's not! She couldn't have fought off all those guards!" Ora started becoming defensive.

"I know! I know!" Amien cut in, reassuring her. "I don't think she's a coward, Ora. I just think that insulting the king and then running the opposite direction might have appeared to be rather...childish to everyone around her."

"I think that most people were grateful that some sensible person spoke up to the obviously crazy, unfit new king." Ora said, crossing her arms.

"I hope so!" Amien shouted, smiling. But then he blinked quickly and became serious. "I mean, you and I are on her side."

Again, neither one of them spoke as they thought of what to say or do next. Ora was questioning whether she did the right thing or not. But it was too late now. What was done was done. She had to go with it. She had to "go with flow" as Marietta said.

"Hey, you never gave me my session!" Ora suddenly pointed out. "Let's do it quickly! I want you to ready my fortune or whatever."

"Destiny," Amien corrected her. "Not fortune. Not fate. Destiny."

"What's the difference?" Ora laughed.

"Fortune is good luck. Fate is your set path that cannot change even if you try to change it. Destiny is what you are meant to do. Some people follow their destiny. Some do not. Either way, destiny is what a person should do. What they are made to do," Amien explained calmly, staring at the ground.

Ora paused and contemplated this. She slowly began to change her mind about the wizard's strange job. Perhaps it wasn't hogwash after all. Although, the session would prove or disprove that, Ora thought.

"So can people know their fate?" she asked, curiously.

"No. People think that their destiny is their fate, but they're often disappointed to find out that it's not. They see how great their destiny is and then sit back and wait for the great destiny to come find them. And then they die a lonely, sad life without accomplishing anything," Amien said grimly.

Ora bit the inside of her lip and raised an eyebrow. "That's troubling. Do you tell people that they have to...fulfill their destiny and not just wait for it?"

"That's all that I tell them after they see their destiny. I try to stress the importance of diligence and perseverance and determination and all that, but they don't listen. They're too excited by what they've just seen in my session that they forget all about reality. They daydream and fantasize about what they think is fate. Then they fail at their destiny. It's...disheartening."

Amien began setting up a table as he ranted about all this. He moved two cushioned chairs on either side of the small table and laid a dark blue cloth over it.

"Well, I'll be sure not to make that mistake," Ora reassured him "You don't have to set everything up for me though. It can just be quick."

He stopped setting things on the table and slowly raised his head to glare at her.

"You either get a session or you don't," he said, rolling his eyes. "There. I've finished anyway. Have a seat."

Ora swallowed as she slowly sat down on the cushioned chair and examined everything on the small table in front of her. There were some dark blue cards with white sketches on them: some of snowflakes, others of stars, others of animals. In the center of the table loomed a giant dark blue crystal ball on a wooden holder. Ora gulped again.

"So, the first session is free and I would usually just read your palm," Amien said quickly. "But this is probably the last time I'm ever going to do this since we're leaving after this...so I'll do all three sessions with you now which will include the card-drawing and the crystal ball."

"Okay," Ora nodded, glancing at everything.

Suddenly, Amien closed his eyes and exhaled.

"Are you ready, Ora?" he asked calmly.

"Yes," she said, suddenly feeling less ready and more nervous.

But then Amien gradually raised his arms and then snapped his fingers. In response, every opening in the tent closed and the lanterns hanging from the ceiling suddenly lit up. The room was dim and quiet like a hidden cave.

Amien barely opened his eyes and held his palm out in front of Ora. When she didn't do anything out of uncertainty, he rolled his eyes and said, "Well give me your hand already!"

"Sorry," she muttered, giving him her right palm.

Amien grabbed her small hand with both of his bejeweled hands. Without bowing his head, he glanced down at her palm and began slowly tracing his finger all along her skin.

"That tickles!" she objected, pulling her hand away in shock.

"Do you want me to read your palm or not?" Amien groaned.

Ora was now less scared of the dark room and more amused by Amien and his weird ritual.

"Fine," she said, giving her hand back to him. "What is this supposed to tell you again?"

"The palm reading tells me a hidden personality trait you have that you are either too afraid or too proud to show," Amien said calmly, feeling her hand again.

This is hogwash, Ora thought again, trying very hard not to pull away from Amien's ticklish finger. She kept twitching and holding back laughter as Amien tried hard not to lose focus.

Finally, Amien let go of her hand and started sorting through the cards.

"Well, what did you see?" Ora asked desperately.

"I didn't see, I felt," Amien corrected her. "And I have to say, I've never met someone as sensitive as you."

The way Amien said this made Ora feel embarrassed, as if it was her fault for being too sensitive. As if she had failed at something and Amien was disappointed in her.

"I can't help that I'm ticklish!" Ora remarked.

"No, I mean that's the trait I found in you. You're sensitive. Not just physically, but emotionally."

"No I'm not!" Ora objected, sounding very offended.

"You don't respond well to criticism-"

"That's not true!"

"You become disappointed when others find fault in you-"

"No I do not!" she shouted.

"You like to argue with anyone who disagrees with you on anything."

"Stop lying! You're making this up!"

"But you're also very compassionate and sympathetic towards others."

"NO! I-"

Ora stopped herself.

"Actually, that part is true," she admitted.

"All of it's true," Amien stated. "In fact, I didn't need to read your palm to tell you any of that. You're the one who needed to hear it though, not me."

Ora fell silent, feeling defeated. She closed her mouth and thought to herself. Am I really that sensitive? I must be. I try SO hard not to take criticism badly...but I can't help it. And besides, people who criticize me never have a good reason to. They do it just for fun!

"Are you ready for the cards?" Amien asked, sounding bored.

Ora said nothing. After a pause and a deep breath, she nodded.

"The trait I find in you determines what deck of cards I use. I found sensitivity and compassion in you, so I'm using the Dove Deck," Amien said, shuffling some cards. They had a white sketch of a dove on the back of them.

Amien laid out the cards before Ora in a neat circle.

"Well. Pick a card," he nodded, crossing his arms.

Though he was trying hard not to show it, Amien was eager to see what the girl would pick.

Ora did not know if she should think through her decision or just pick a random card. Either way, the card she would pick would be random, she though. They all were identical on the back, but different on the front.

"How do I know this isn't some magic card trick and I'm picking the card you want me to pick?" Ora suddenly asked.

"What card would I want you to pick?" Amien asked, confused.

"I don't know," Ora mumbled.

"Exactly. Pick a card already! This will reveal your deepest desire by the way," Amien said casually.

Shaking her head, Ora finally grabbed a card close to her and looked at it.

"Flip it over. What does it say?" Amien asked, leaning forward.

But Ora just turned red and pressed the card to her chest.

"Ora! I have to know what it is!" Amien shouted, reaching for the card.

"Why? Why do you have to know?" Ora yelled, holding the card behind her back.

"For goodness' sake, do you want me to read your destiny or not?" the wizard sighed, putting his face in his hands.

"I don't even think this is right! I mean, I just picked a random card! Why should that determine what I most desire?" Ora argued, leaping to her feet and pacing back and forth.

"It's your deepest desire, not what you most desire!" Amien repeated, sounding exhausted.

"What's the difference?" she snapped.

"Deepest, as in most intense, yet most buried," the pirate replied, glaring at the crystal ball on the table.

Ora stared at the orb as well. It was dark and empty, but she was curious to see what it would do.

"You need to give the card to me and I need to put it under the crystal ball," Amien mumbled, leaning his cheek on his fist.

"Why can't I do it?" the girl demanded.

"Are you a wizard?" Amien asked, sitting up and widening his eyes.

"No..."

"Do you have magic?" he asked.

"....Well, no-"

"Then you can't activate the crystal ball and it will not show you your destiny. I have to do it myself because I know how to do it," Amien explained. At this point, he was questioning his life decisions and even thought about kicking the girl out of his house.

But she finally handed him the card, her cheeks blushing red under her light blonde curls. Amien glanced at the card and then put it under the crystal ball with no expression.

"Don't know what you were so embarrassed about," he muttered, rolling up his black sleeves a bit.

"You don't think it's...lame to want love so badly?" Ora asked, desperately..

"Everyone wants to be loved," Amien replied. "Many people have drawn that card."

When Ora finally sat down again, Amien laid his hands on the indigo crystal ball and closed his eyes. The room was silent except for the slow breathing of the concentrating wizard. Ora watched the lanterns flickering calmly and then gazed into the ball as she wondered if anything would happen.

"Ora, put your hands on the orb," Amien murmured, his eyes still closed.

She immediately placed her hands next to Amien's, their fingers touching ever so slightly.

After a deafening silence, so silent that Ora thought her ear was going to start ringing, the crystal ball gradually faded from blue to white. It began glowing like a moon in the night sky. Ora would have gasped, but she didn't dare disturb the silence. So she inhaled silently as the ball under her palms grew warmer.

Suddenly, Amien's eyes flew open. At first, Ora thought his sapphire irises were glowing, but it was just the light of the orb reflecting off of them. He stared into the orb, narrowing his eyes and breathing slowly but heavily. Ora wondered how long this would take. She didn't know if she should be frightened or suspicious of the whole performance.

Amien's expression changed completely. Ora had never seen his face so hopeful and surprised and even...happy. He even broke into a smile and quickly got out of his seat.

"I saw her! I saw her! Diamond the Willow Wanderer! It was a girl with white hair flying through the sky! It had to be her!"

Ora was too shocked to say anything.

"What do you mean, Amien?" she asked, rising.

"I saw Diamond the Willow Wanderer! That's all I saw, but I'm sure it was her! Your destiny has to do with her!" Amien shouted, grinning widely.

He began pacing excitedly, grasping his black hair and panting.

"What do you think it means?" Ora asked, suddenly calm again.

"You're going to help me find her, Ora. You're going to help me find her!" he smiled, turning to Ora. "Ora, if we find her, we can defeat the king. If we find her, she can help us! She can help free us from the crazy man who sits on the throne! Ora, all you have to do is accept your destiny and then we can find her! We can find Diamond the Willow Wanderer!"

Suddenly, as if he had just become a completely different person, Amien hurried over to Ora and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Will you, Ora? Will you help me find her?" he asked with a hopeful and pleading look in his dark eyes.

To which Ora replied, "Yes. Yes, I will."