“Who?” Duncan picked his teeth gently as the carriage lurched along the poorly cobbled street.

“Brack Na’Orin. The chief of Dreanar. Surely you remember him, we’ve seen him twice! And he’s the leader of one of the most important countries on the continent.” Hal shook his head and rubbed his templres.

He and Duncan were dressed casually, which would help them avoid notice when walking with the common folk outside.

Duncan flicked his toothpick out of the window and squinted at Hal. “He’s the one who arranged the Coalition Efir trade agreement? The one who, um, developed his country into a utopia by gouging us with absurd Efir prices. Is that the one?”

“Yes, that one.” Hal shook his head at the sheer amount of ignorance on display. “How could you not know him? He’s a legendary statesman and economist. He is so world renowned that there are books on him and his theories. He’s literally travelling to Cliff Harbour right now for the Anniversary Festival.”

“I never really got that much into Dreanar; the Hornies were for the bigwigs in the treasury to handle. Plus, they’re old news. Boran is much more to my taste. Ancient, exotic, an active threat, you know, more interesting.”

Hal gave a dry chuckle. “Sure. That makes sense since it’s impossible to know about more than one thing at a time in Duncan world.”

“Conservation of energy Hal. You should research it.”

Hal was about to reply when the carriage came to an abrupt halt.

Duncan rubbed his hands together and pushed open the door. “This is me. Are you sure you don’t want to come? It’s great fun.”

“I’m fine, thank you. The lover’s pox isn’t really my thing.”

“Hardy har.” Duncan hopped out of the carriage. “I’ll be off then. Good luck with the witch.” He jogged out of the carriageway and into a dingy, non-descript establishment. Hal was glad to see his back.

It would be a disservice to the realm not to kick him out along with Harold. Hopefully, this mystic can help clear my mind, there is much to do and very little time for deliberation.

Hal knocked on the carriage wall and it began rolling to his destination. After a while, the carriage stopped and Hal stepped out. Hal told the driver to come back after he’d fed the horses, then flipped him a coin for his trouble.

The building was small and neatly placed at the end of a long row of quaint shops. On its front, a sign read:

Abigail’s apothecary and fortune telling, no reservations.

Above the sign was an artful illustration of a mortar and pestle next to a crystal ball surrounded by stars and sparkles. They were well painted, if a little garish for Hal's taste.

Hal pushed open the front door and a small bell chimed from the corner of the door.

“I’ll be right with you!” A pretty voice called from another room. “Do you want some tea?”

“Yes, please,” Hal shouted back. He looked around the lobby. It was, of course, quite small. Knick knacks lined shelves that hung over locked cabinets filled with vials and jars. Hal took off his coat and draped it over his arm.

Smells of cloves and long undisturbed dust. Well, at least there won’t be any other customers to distract her.

A short woman walked in. She was young and had braided black hair that reached her waist. Hal could not help but smile at the sight of her wide, green eyes.

My regrets about coming here are beggining to fade away.

“Hello, my name’s Abigail.” She handed him a steaming cup of tea. “What are you here for?” She sipped her cup while eyeing him curiously.

“For my fortune. I’ve been told you’re the best mystic around these parts.”

“Then you’ve been told right. Follow me.” After putting away his coat Abigail led him into a room that was simply furnished with a table and two chairs. On the table sat a crystal ball and a small metal tray on top of a blue and white table cloth. “Sit, please.”

Hal sat down and folded his arms in front of him, smiling sceptically at Abigail from across the table. “So, how does this work then? Do you blow smoke in my face and tell me that I have something bright in my future and then charge me a gold coin?”

Abigail shook her head seriously. “I use Efir smoke and this ball to gaze into the threads of your past, present, and future. It’s the Efir that does it, the ball is really just a focusing tool. I can remove it if you want.”

“No, it’s fine.” Hal eased up slightly. The woman seemed to know what she was doing. “What will you be able to see?”

“First I will look into your past, to gain context for any visions of the future I may see. Then I will survey your present, again, for context. Finally, I will look forwards in time and tell you what I see of your future. To be clear, the vision is quite a guided experience for me. The threads show me what they want to show, no more or no less. So, unless it’s relevant to your future, don’t worry about me seeing any of your dirty laundry, so to speak.”

Hall nodded. “How much?”

“Two silver, and upfront. Don’t let me tell you about all the swindlers who get a reading they don't like and refuse to pay.”

“Alright.” Hal took a coin pouch from his belt and counted out two silvers worth of coin. He placed it back on his belt, right next to his knife.

Abigail nodded in acceptance of the money and opened a pouch strapped to her chest. Out of it, she pulled a fingertip sized chunk of Efir and two dark stones. She placed the chunk into the metal tray and used the stones to set it alight. The Efir flared brilliantly and began to emit a solid stream of blue smoke.

“Place your hands on the orb, please.” Abigail wafted the smoke towards her face with her hand. Once Hal had placed his hands on the sphere, she placed her hands on his.

“You must open your mind, think freely and let your memories come in and out of your focus as they wish.”

Hal complied, letting his mind wander. He thought of simple things; the weather, the smell of the room, the feeling of Abigail’s hands against his. Suddenly, his mind was grabbed and pushed forwards mercilessly. It sped through his memories, his reality. It was all a blur, he could not identify a thought before his mind was made to move onto another, then another. The lack of control was disconcerting, but somewhat exhilarating too. Like riding a horse at full gallop.

Hal took a deep breath to hamper the motion sickness that was beginning to arrive in his chest. The breath calmed his body and mind a little, giving him some space to think. He looked at Abigail. Her image was hazy through the smoke, but he could see her expression just fine. Her eyes were closed but moved rapidly behind her lids. She was focused and seemed almost slightly… disturbed.

Hal whispered, “Everything okay in there?”

“Quite please.” Abigail shook her head and sat forward on her chair. “Hal, I’m seeing strange things. I can’t… quite.” Abigail’s brows furrowed and she shook her head again, more out of denial of what she was seeing than of dismissal of Hal. “No, this is…” Abigail’s face went slack, and her skin turned pale. Hal could feel her hands begin to shake.

“By the mother,” she whispered, terrified.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Hal shook her slightly.

Abigail burst back into reality. She took a deep, shuddering breath and looked at Hal with a mixture of deep disgust and fear. The look only lasted a second before she attempted to compose herself. She forced a smile and said, “Would you like more tea? I’ll make some more.”

“What did you see that got you so rattled,” Hal asked, a smile playing at his lips. “You can tell me, it’s ok.”

“I saw nothing of significance. Just, um, something I didn't expect. It's fine.” She said, trying to come off as casual.

Hal could almost have believed her. Would have liked to.

When Abigail started to move her hands, Hal grabbed them with a sudden movement. “Abigail, please tell me what you saw. I need to know.”

“Let go of me. Now.” Abigail tried to pull herself free but was held fast.

“I don’t want to harm you, Abigail. Tell me what you saw and maybe I won't have to.”

“I saw nothing, Hal!” She began to struggle more desperately, but she might as well have had her hands trapped in stone for all the good it did her.

Hal sighed and let her stumble backward, almost falling over. She rubbed her wrists and looked at him like he was a feral animal.

Hal looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry I had to do that. Hopefully your wrists don't bruise.”

“Leave my store immediately. My husband will be home soon and I would like to avoid any confrontation.”

“Sure,” Hal said as he walked meekly to the door. “Sorry again.”

Abigail moved to the table and quenched the flame. As she gathered the remaining Efir into her pouch, she saw that his money was still on the table.

“You forget your-“

Hal gripped the top of her head and stabbed his knife into the side of her throat. Blood gushed freely as he pushed it cleanly forwards and down, freeing the blade completely. Abigail’s hands grabbed feebly at her open wound. After a short time, she went limp, and Hal dropped her. She landed heavily in a dark pool of her own blood.

She knew my name and she saw... something she wasn't allowed to see. I had no choice. It was bloody stupid to come here in the first place.

Hal checked himself for blood and found none. He took his money off the table and went into all the rooms of the house, searching for any valuables. There was not much, small pieces of jewellery and coins mostly. Hal took as many as he could fit in his pouch. He made sure to make the ransacking obvious in order to make it easier for the authorities. Just another botched robbery.

Hal went outside and saw his carriage waiting for him. He waved to the driver and jovially said, “It was quite good. I recommend her.”

The carriage driver nodded, as if to a friend. “Straight home, Master Hal?”

“Yes, thank you. I’m sure Duncan will be occupied well into the night.”

The carriage driver chuckled and whipped the reins after Hal clambered in. Hal sighed heavily and looked out towards Abigail’s shop.

A sad waste of life. But, alas, I have more pertinent matters to focus on. It won't do any good to feel guilty.

Hal thought of Abigail few times after that. And when he did, it was to remember her pretty green eyes and her pale face beneath a soft blue haze.