"I see you have proven yourself the 'heroes' of the prophecy," Lord Azure noted when the guards dropped us off at the throne room. "Well, I am expected to thank you for saving my daughter's life, so I thank you," he went on, nodding once. Even I could tell it took a lot for him to say that.

"I am obliged to thank you for the restoration of our sacred catacombs. It means much to our people. We have already begun the process of clearing the deadly traps from its rooms. It is also my duty to grant you a visit with the Oracle, so this I do. I will grant you the freedom to leave here unharmed, despite my orders to the contrary from the Crown, but there my obligations to you end," he added firmly. He must have been more grateful than he let on, because he was really disobeying Alhazred's instructions to kill us. Either that, or he wasn't all that fond of Alhazred taking over the monarchy.

"I have no love for Alhazred," he admitted, "but he is my liege and if Princess Cassima trusts him and wishes to wed him….My guards will take you to the Oracle now. When your time with her is through, I want you to leave the City of the Winged Ones and never return. I don't know who you are or what you want here, but I will not disobey my Crown further."

Alexander and I bowed our heads to him in respect. "We thank you, Lord Azure," Alexander thanked him. "We will respect your wishes."

And with that, the guards flew us out to the sacred mountain for which the island was named. Inside was a cavernous chamber where a tall, elegant figure stood somewhat hunched over a small pool of sorts filled with glimmering water. Their wings were magnificent, and once again, it was a challenge not to stare.

"Hail to thee, great Oracle!" the guard proclaimed. "Lord Azure sends you this wingless male and female. It appears that they solved the Cliffs of Logic and-"

"-defeated the Minotaur in his lair," the Oracle finished. "So I have seen. So these are the ones that haunt my pool of late. Welcome, young seekers. What knowledge do you desire?"

The Oracle seemed to be a lot kinder than the other Winged Ones. I smiled, but then lightly nudged Alexander. "Well, Alexander?"

"But-" When I shook my head at him, he turned back towards the Oracle. "Princess Cassima. Whatever you can tell us, great Oracle."

"Ah," she sighed in comprehension, "of course, the princess. That explains my images. Let us see what we can see." She swirled a finger in the water before her, and an image of a beautiful young maiden with thick, curly black hair appeared in the water.

"I see a maiden, lovely and pure, but surrounded by evil. She is a rose set amidst bitter thorns. It is her fate to be the pawn of dark powers, and yours to try to redeem her," she told Alexander.

The image disappeared as the prince inquired, "How? How do I redeem her?"

The Oracle shook her head sadly. "Fate is not like the cut of a blade, young one, but rather like the myriad of paths formed when a hammer cracks ice. I will tell you what I can, but what will actually come to pass is up to you.

"I see that any attempt to reach the girl will force you into battle, a struggle against a dark force. If you lose, your life will be forfeit," she warned.

"Who must we fight?" Alexander went on.

The Oracle's eyes became clouded over as she answered grimly, "A great darkness surrounds your adversary, preventing me from seeing clearly. I can only make out the shape of a black cloak. But before this final struggle, I see an infiltration- a dangerous game of hide-and-seek in corridors filled with enemies. The risks are high, but it's the only way to reach the one you seek," she told him. "There is more than one way into this place. Your choice will dictate much."

I listened carefully to the Oracle, even though her attention was focused mainly on Alexander. No doubt remembering this later would come in handy.

Alexander nodded. "What else do you see, mighty Oracle?"

Once again, the Oracle swirled a finger in the water before her, but this time a skull appeared, the image flying past my ear.

I retracted in alarm as the Oracle gasped. "Oh! Oh, such pain. I see two restless spirits crying out for revenge. These shades could help you destroy the dark force if they were to be brought back from their spiritual form. Yet this is only one possible path to your destiny.

"I'm afraid this is getting beyond me," she admitted. "I can only advise getting counsel from the Druids. Be warned, the Druids are reclusive and dangerous. They might aid you or they might destroy you. Like their island, the Druids' nature is hidden in the mists. There is nothing more I can do for you except to give you this."

She took out a short, thin vial and scooped some water from her pool, putting a stopper in it and handing it to Alexander. "It is water from the sacred pool. That, no doubt, will help you should you need it."

Then she took out a small gemstone and offered it to me. "As I understand, young lady, you are not from here. This will help you get home when your job is done here. These and my blessing go with you both."

Cautiously, I closed the jewel in both hands and bowed my head to her. "Thank you very much, great Oracle," I thanked her as Alexander followed my example.

"We are eternally grateful for your wisdom," he added.

As per the deal with Lord Azure, the guards came back and flew us to the beach of the isle. Before taking out the magic map, I studied the gemstone the Oracle had given me.

"Kit, where do you come from anyway?" Alexander inquired. "If you're not from here, then where do you live?"

"Someplace very far away," I answered.

"Serenia?" he guessed.

"Eh, farther," I grimaced. "You wouldn't have heard of it, trust me."

"If you say so. So then, this gem will allow you to return home?"

I studied the trinket the Oracle had given me. It was mainly obsidian in color, but in certain places, catching the light made it look a little like an emerald. "I hope so. Anyway, let's-well, hello," I had to supplement when I took out the magic map to study.

The other islands were still visible on the map, but a new island had appeared, far off the coast of the Isle of the Beast. It was easily the smallest island, and drawings of clouds surrounded the land. The name for the island was "Isle of the Mists".

Alexander looked over my shoulder at the new island. "Didn't the book shop owner mention an isle shrouded in mists?"

"And the Oracle just told us about the Druids living on an island hidden in the mists," I agreed. "Well, shall we explore?"

"As long as we're careful," he warned. Clearly he was remembering the Oracle's warning about the Druids: "reclusive and dangerous".

I almost wanted to scoff and tell him "Careful is my middle name", but he wouldn't have gotten it, and careful wasn't in my nature anyway.

So I nodded. "Yeah. No problem."

When we landed on the beach of the Isle of the Mists, Alexander and I took a moment to look around. There were two paths that led elsewhere, one to the northwest, and the other to the northeast. The island felt eerie on account of the gnarled moss-covered trees and rolling mists, and only a few feet of water could be seen from the shore before the ocean was lost in the fog for which the island was named. Strange rocks could be seen around the shore, like the tips of volcanoes rising from the water. But what I was most interested in was the sound of mysterious drums and chanting.

As Alexander opened his mouth to speak, I raised a finger to my lips. "Shh," I whispered. "Listen."

A minute or two was spent in silence as he listened, then looked to the northeast, where the sounds were coming from. "I…have a bad feeling," he admitted.

"Why don't we explore over here, then?" I offered, pointing to the northwest. He nodded in agreement, and we followed the path until we came to a clearing.

The clearing must have been where the island's residents lived, for all around the clearing were large trees serving as houses. In the center of the small village was a fire pit filled with lumps of coal, while the path Alexander and I stood on wound two ways, back south to the beach and east to the inland.

The trees looked cozy and suitable for a home, although I gathered the inhabitants had very simple tastes in comparison to mine or Alexander's. I examined one as Alexander moved to the center of the village, where a horned animal skull was on display. There were a small set of steps leading up to a well-bolted wooden door, sheltered under an animal hide. Hesitantly, I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. Either no one was home, or the house's owner wasn't in the mood for company.

"Look at this," Alexander beckoned me over to the skull. Ornamental, yet simple jewels decorated the skull, and despite the lovely quality of the jewels, I was still hesitant to touch the skull.

"I'd assume, since this might be where the Druids live, that this skull is some kind of talisman against danger," I speculated.

"Maybe. Oh?"

Alexander's attention was fixed on one of the tree-houses. On one side of the door was a small staircase, and directly above the top step was a bearskin with a scythe hanging on it.

The prince scaled the staircase and took down the scythe. When he looked back at me, I pointed to him. "That's not going in my satchel."

"Fair enough," he chuckled, stowing it in his own inventory. Then we walked over to the fire pit, looking down inside it. Several lumps of coal were in it, but they were cold.

"That's odd," I mused, picking up one of the lumps of coal. "This fire pit was not in use recently, but I smell smoke nearby."

"Do you think it might have something to do with the strange sounds we heard on the beach?" Alexander wondered.

"Maybe. But I think, for now, we're done looking around here. What say we take this lump of coal back to the Queens on the Isle of Wonder? Maybe they'll stop bickering," I suggested.

"Good idea," he nodded, leading me back to the beach.

"Your Highness may as well spend her royal time contemplating something else," the Red Queen sniffed when she and the White Queen reached the city's entrance. "The lump of coal shall be sent to the Castle of the Crown under my name, and that's all there is to it."

"No, it shan't," the White Queen rebuked.

"Yes, it shall," the Red Queen shot back, smirking.

"If the coal is sent in your name, I shall royally decree a ban on all red on this isle," the White Queen snarled.

This did not amuse the Red Queen. "You do, and I shall royally decree that white shall be henceforth used for all mopping up of cabbage stew."

"Oh," I groaned, my eyes widening a little. Now things had gotten real.

The White Queen gasped. "You wouldn't dare!"

The Red Queen's smirk widened. "Oh, wouldn't I?"

Then they turned towards us again. "Oh, it's you," the White Queen greeted snidely. "Have you thought of any more of those brilliant ideas of yours?"

My eye twitched minimally as I stepped forward, the lump of coal from the Isle of the Mists in hand. Highly tempted to throw it at one of them and shout, "Stick this in your pipe and do the hokey pokey!" I offered the lump of coal to the White Queen and said to her as graciously as I could, "Here, it's another lump of coal. So now you can stop bickering over the one you have."

The White Queen was overjoyed. "Oh, let me see! A lump of coal! And what a beauty it is, too! Marvelous!" she gushed. Then she turned towards the Red Queen. "Now we can stop fighting, sister. Your Highness can just keep the old lump of coal, and I'll take this new one."

Now it was impossible not to think of Alice in Wonderland when I heard "sister". What was next, a Frabjous Day with a Jabberwocky? Except this White Queen was not as mature as Mirana.

"Quite right," the Red Queen concurred. "That settles everything."

They turned to face us. "As a token of our endless esteem and royal favor, please accept this magnificent and truly incredible spoiled egg," the White Queen said, handing me the egg.

"Uh…" both Alexander and I chorused. "Um, thanks," I smiled weakly at the Queens. Some exchange. Why didn't I keep the coal?

The Queens turned and began hopping away. "Let me see that lump of coal, Your Highness," the Red Queen said.

"It is a beauty, isn't it?" the White Queen cooed.

"Why, it's bigger than my lump of coal!" the Red Queen noted with anger. "Let me have it immediately!"

"Oh, crikey," I groaned.

"Over my dead body, Your Highness!" the White Queen shot back. "It's MY lump of coal, and it is indeed larger and much grander! Just look at that sheen!"

"I DEMAND you exchange with me IMMEDIATELY!" the Red Queen yelled.

I turned away from the city gate as Alexander shrugged. "They're on their own for this one. I'm not wasting any more brain cells on their childish dilemmas."

"Well said," the prince of Daventry nodded. "So? What next?"

"I have an idea," I responded after a moment's contemplation. "The Red Queen said the Singing Stone of this island was stolen by the Beast, didn't she?"

"Yes," he agreed. "Should we try and get it back?"

"Gives us something to do while figuring out what to do about Alhazred," I shrugged.

"All right," he nodded. "Then let's go."