Legal stuff: This work belongs to me. You may not reproduce any part of it and claim it as your own. Copyright 2014, all rights reserved.
Cover: Thank you to Lirantha for the original black-and-white sketch of Silay, which can be found on the Undestined blog, and for granting me permission to use it in my cover design.
Dandelion image: Modified from "Norsk Bokmal" (Blown Dandelion) by Erlend Schei. Used under Creative Commons licensing.
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It was Fortune Day. Most towns had coming of age rituals, but the one here in Dagrosa was unique, as unique as its people. Even in Ohicink, a land of magic, the Dagrosians stood out. It was commonly said that all great Heroes came from Dagrosa. Mind you, not everyone from Dagrosa was a Hero, but if one was a Hero, it was certain you came from there. For the people of Dagrosa each had a Destiny. Oh, often enough it was simple: to be a good cook, to make gardens grow, to sing away people's worries. But every now and then, Dagrosa would produce a Hero.
What is important to know about Dagrosa is that not only did each person have a Destiny, but each person knew it. That was what Fortune Day was all about. All the children who would become adults that year gathered at the small cabin of the Seer, and she would look into their eyes, into their souls, and tell them what their Destiny was. And today was Fortune Day.
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The Seer scowled at the crystal ball before her, mumbling under her breath. Silay, the girl sitting across the table from her, fidgeted nervously. Suddenly, the Seer grabbed Silay's right hand and stared at it. Her forehead wrinkled and the scowl grew deeper. Finally, she dropped the girl's hand and marched to the back of her cabin. Silay could hear the clink of dishes as she moved about.
The Seer returned with a cup of tea, which she set on the table before Silay. "Drink. Quickly."
Silay gulped down the tea, too nervous to even care that it burned the roof of her mouth. The Seer grabbed the cup, swirled it around a few times, then looked at the leaves at the bottom. She stared at them for a few moments before Silay got up the courage to speak.
"What...What do you see?"
The Seer looked up. "Nothing."
"Nothing? What do you mean nothing?"
"I mean nothing." The Seer's voice started out calm, but as she spoke, built up to a hysteric scream. "There is nothing. Not in the ball, not in your palm, not in the tea. There is nothing! Never, never in all my years has such a thing happened. I see nothing for you. No past, no future, nothing! You are nothing. A ghost. A walking dead. Get out! Get out! Get out now!" As she shouted the final words, she shoved Silay out of the door, and threw the teacup after her, where it shattered against the ground. She glared at the rest of the children and parents lined up outside her cabin. "I'm done for the day," she growled. "Go home." The Seer retreated to her cabin, and slammed the door shut behind her.
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Author's Note: One of the most common pieces of feedback I've received on this chapter since posting it is that there is a lack of descriptions of both the characters and setting. I'm going to work hard to fix that during my next revision of the story, and in future chapters, but for now, to help you with a visual, I imagine the area of the world Silay is living in to be much like the Mediterranean area in our world.
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