“Take a deep breath, little Queen. Let it fill you. Only then will you be able to see and hear your future. Or answer the question who are you?”
Her eyes cloudy, Dinah was barely able to make out the outline of the massively fat Yurkei man who sat perched on a pile of bright pillows. His girth hung over the sides of the cushions, and only a yellow feather loin cloth stood between her and his complete nakedness. His skin was dark and shiny and, unlike most Yurkei, completely unmarked by white lines. On the side of the tent, hundreds of clay pots and hanging scales all clamored for space. The walls of the tent were adorned with hanging herbs, potted plants, and a style of finger painting that Dinah had never seen. Iu-Hora noticed her staring with interest at his work.
“The Darklands have provided a most bountiful crop on which to experiment. I have already made three new potions since we’ve been here! One for rashes, one for aging eyes, and one for… well, you don’t need to know that. You’ll see.”
She looked over at him again, but was unable to make out his face. It kept shifting and changing, but that was just the hazy light, wasn’t it? Wasn’t it? She was very confused. Dinah felt the smoke make its way into her lungs, and a pleasant warm sensation began to stir under her rib cage. She was feeling very light, very free, very happy.
“Here. Take a drag.” Out of nowhere, a chubby hand extended the end of the hookah pipe to her. “Just one taste, Princess. Just one taste and hear what Iu-Hora has to tell you.”
Impulsively, Dinah took the pipe and inhaled deeply, before she could think about the decision. Then she heard Sir Gorrann’s words. “Impulsive, like your father.” But that man wasn’t her father. Or was he? She couldn’t remember, and didn’t seem to care. The smoke went down sweet and tingly, and she immediately felt like she was bursting with joy. Her head was clear, and her ears were open. She collapsed with a giggle onto a pile of pillows nearby.
“Did you get these from Wonderland? The Yurkei don’t have pillows like this.”
“They came to me how they came to me. You did not come here to ask questions about the pillows. You came here to ask much more difficult questions. And I am here to ask you… who are you?”
“I’m Dinah,” she answered. “And I do not know why I came here.”
“You are here because I brought you here. I have been waiting a long time to meet the Queen of Hearts.”
“I’m not Queen yet.”
He seemed to slither around her. “Ah, yes, war. The coming war, the great war. A war that will change the fate of Wonderland. Battle. Blood, smoke, and birds. A deck of cards, falling… falling. I see a hiding girl, a bloody sword, a fractured heart.”
His words made no sense to Dinah. She laughed and then felt suddenly somber. “Can you see the outcome? I hear the Caterpillar is a predictor of fortunes.”
For no clear reason, Dinah started laughing at the word fortune. It was so amusing, that word.
“I cannot see the outcome of the war, because it involves the fate of too many. My visions are blurry with so many souls to see. I see much death and unhappiness. I see a beautiful woman weeping at a window, a skilled arrow, blue stars in the sky. I see you riding a black devil, with great wings stretched behind you.”
“That would be Morte,” Dinah laughed until she wept. Then she looked around. How long had she been laughing? A minute? Three hours? Three weeks? The Caterpillar emerged from the hazy light, his features still unreadable, aside from his glowing blue eyes. It was all she could see. Dinah was suddenly terrified.