Waves of Destiny

by PedePaulie

Ona had the perfect life on the beautiful island of Kaui where she had the opportunity to surf and swim everyday. Suddenly, her world is mixed up - literally - when she is transported to a strange land and left with no choice but to join a magical academy despite her own lack of magical powers. Along the way, she may discover the destined love her mother spoke of. FloydXOCXJade

29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

"Yes!" Kalim cheered. "I think I managed to memorize a spell I was having trouble with!"

"Good job, Kalim," I said with a smile. I glanced at Jamil, who appeared less than pleased. "Is there a problem?"

"Not at all," said Jamil. "Next, we need to-"

"We should head outside," said Azul. "Good idea, Jamil."

"Come on, everyone!" Kalim said. We all changed into our gym uniforms and went outside, where Azul took charge once again.

"Proper exercise is critical to honing a more efficient mind for study," he explained. "However, overstraining yourself will have an adverse effect."

"Mock battles are a good way to exercise while venting stress," said Jade.

"Aha ha! I'm in the mood to cut loose, so count me in!" said Floyd. He looked around. "Hmmm, who to fight?"

"All right, split into teams of five and let the melee begin!" Kalim said with a grin. "Aha ha! Mock bottles really are fun. And they're a great way to gauge the results of your training."

"Yes, Housewarden!" said the Scarabian students while Jamil sighed.

After training for awhile, we headed to the school cafeteria to cook lunch. "There's one main reason we've grown as well as we have," Azul said. "And that would be... our diet, of course! It's about getting the nutrients you need... not too many and not too few. This helps your afternoon performance."

"Cooking is an essential life skill for gaining an understanding of food and developing a healthy diet," said Jade.

"Maybe I should start cooking every now and then..." said Kalim. "I wouldn't have to worry about poison if I prepared meals myself."

"Don't," said Jamil. "You'll injure yourself again."

"Again?" I said.

Kalim smiled sheepishly. "Yeah..."

"Okay, Sea Otter," said Floyd. "You're in charge of stirrin' the pot."

"Keep an eye on that soup and make sure it doesn't boil over, would you?" said Jade.

Kalim beamed at them. "Sure thing! Glad to help."

"All right, everyone. Let's make this a meal to remember."

"Yes, sir!" said the Scarabian students.

"Okay, I'm going to make the best-tasting soup ever!" Kalim said with a grin.

"I worry about having you cook on your own," said Jamil. "I'll help."

"No need to fret, Jamil," said Azul. "We will aid him."

"You just sit back and relax," said Jade.

"Fine..." Jamil grumbled. Once again, he did not look happy at all. I kept near Kalim to assist him as well - and to stay away from Jamil.

"Scalding Sands cuisine is delicious," Azul said after tasting some of the soup. "Perhaps we should add some to our menu. Though it might be difficult to procure ingredients and learn to cook them properly."

"I'll help with that!" said Kalim. "I'd love it if everyone knew how great our food is. I can get all the spices and have one of my family's chefs come to instruct you."

"That would be grand! Let's work out the wording of the contract later."

"Hey, I'm all for that," I said. "This food is delicious!"

"Thanks!" Kalim said happily. "I would love to try some food from your home country."

I smiled. "Then I'll make some for you sometime."

"Ooo... Make some for me too!" said Floyd.

"I would like to try it as well," said Jade.

"Then I'll have all of you over sometime," I said. We returned out focus to the soup. Kalim tried hard to follow instructions exactly.

"Nice one, Sea Otter," said Floyd. "You're better at this than I expected."

"Ha ha! You think so?" said Kalim. "I guess you never know until you try. Okay, it's almost done. Just a bit more!" Jamil looked on in displeasure as Kalim finished up the soup. "Done! Wow, even I can make a simple soup, huh? Aha ha!"

"All you did was stir the pot..." Jamil said with a sigh.

We carried the food back to Scarabia, where we all dug in. Everything was delicious. After eating, many of the students broke off and started chatting with each other. I stood with Grim and the Octavinelle students until Azul signaled to Azul.

"I have to go with Azul for a minute, Little Shrimpy," Floyd said quietly into my ear. "Stay close to Jade, okay? I'll be right back."

"Alright," I said, and Floyd and Azul walked off.

"A little paranoid, isn't he?" said Grim.

"I wouldn't be too sure," said Jade. "Jamil has been eying her all day." He placed a hand on my back. "But not to worry, Ona. He won't approach you as long as Floyd or I are here."

"Thanks," I said. I spotted Jamil, and, sure enough, he was watching me. He looked away when he realized he was caught, but I still felt uncomfortable. I leaned into Jade, and he moved his arm around me waist.

"I still think you're wrong about him," said Grim, "but... do what you have to do to stay safe."

Floyd returned a few minutes later. He grinned at me but said nothing, which I found a tad unusual. I did not have time to question him, for Azul gathered everyone together.

"Ahhh, that was fantastic," said Kalim.

"Pausing after a meal to take a light walk stimulates the brain and improves your study efficiency in the afternoon," said Azul.

"You know a lot about this stuff, Azul. I'm impressed. And here I was just pushing for frantic hard work with no real direction. I think I've put my students in an unfair position. You're a sophomore housewarden just like me, but I'm woefully behind."

"Everyone makes mistakes. Our vacation's only half over. There's still room to make up for lost time."

"With a training camp this helpful, staying at school doesn't sound so bad," said one Scarabian student.

"Yeah, agreed," said another. "The only chance we get to spend time with you guys is when we're at school."

"It feels like I'm waking up from a nightmare..." murmured a third.

"Scarabia's got a lot of people good at astrology and ancient incantations, right?" said Azul.

"As they tell it here, the Sorcerer of the Sands specialized in divination, and this dorm is populated by students who embody his spirit," said Kalim. "I'm not good at either thing myself, though. Aha ha!"

"I hear the Sorcerer of the Sands successfully utilized a man-made device for fortunetelling that required natural energy. The study of astrology took shape relatively early when compared to other fields of magic... He was so far ahead of his time. I suppose his successes played a major role in that."

"Ooh... The Great Seven never fail to impress!"

Azul glanced at the clock. "Oh, it's almost three o'clock. Let's get in a bit more studying, then take a break."

"Shall I prepare some tea?" said Jade.

"No, I'll handle it. I'm the farthest along with my assignment, after all."

"Allow me to help," said Jamil.

"I'd appreciate that. Shall we be off, Jamil?"

Once they were gone, Jade turned to Kalim and said, "Kalim, I hate to bother you, but... do you mind if I stream a video to your TV over there? I promise it'll be very educational."

"Sure," said Kalim. "No problem, Jade." It only took a couple of minutes before the TV was on and Jade connected to Azul's live stream. Everything was black because the phone was in Azul's pocket, but Jamil and Azul's voices were unmistakable.

"You made eye contact with me," Jamil said on the TV. "Fool. The one you behold is your master. When I ask you a question, you will answer. When I give you a command, you will assent. Snake Charmer."

"What?!" said Azul. "Gh... My head! Rgh..."

"Ww-what's going on?" Kalim said, his smile fading.

"Just keep watching," I said sadly. Jade, Floyd, Grim, and I made our way to the door where we could eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Azul, who is your master?" I heard Jamil say.

"My master is... you, O mighty Jamil," said Azul. "I await your command, Master."

"Heh... Ha ha... Ha ha ha ha ha! You thought I was a mediocre magician, but you were sorely mistaken—an embarrassing misjudgment for the housewarden of Octavinelle. But really... Because of you, all my carefully laid plans have gone up in smoke. All I needed was a little more nudging from the Ramshackle visitors, and the students would have kicked Kalim out. It was my way of getting Kalim ejected from his position without getting my own hands dirty. Do you have any idea how much painstaking effort I put into laying the groundwork for that? First, you're going to take the twins and go home to the Coral Sea... Wait, hold on. Azul. You returned all your contractually stolen powers back to their original owners recently, right?"

"Yes, Master."

"Tch. So much for using you as my own personal genie of the Lamp. Your signature spell is quite a valuable asset... But it would be hard to keep you controlled long- term."

"Sir. I remember the contents of the contracts."

"What?"

"I remember all the secrets of the people I made contracts with. Their troubles. Their weaknesses. Their desires."

"What a twisted collection. I can see I made the right call not making friends with you. Does this intellectual cache of yours include Headmage Dire Crowley's secrets?"

"Of course, Master. I know one thing he would never want others to learn."

"Hah... Ha ha ha... That's it. That's it! It's all going to work out! You really are my genie of the Lamp, Azul!"

Anger surged in me. Maybe I could understand some of Jamil's resentment towards Kalim even if it was highly unfair, but use Azul like this to harm others? I couldn't stand for it! I impulsively moved forward, but Floyd pulled me back. Right, this was not the time. We had to follow the plan.

"Do you wish to know the headmage's secret?" said Azul, speaking in monotone.

"Oh, absolutely," said Jamil with a glee that made me sick. "Once I have the headmage's weakness in my grasp, I'll finally be free. I'll kick Kalim out of school and become housewarden myself!"

"And there we have it," said Jade, stepping out into the hallway. Grim, Floyd, and I followed behind him. Jamil appeared absolutely mortified.

"So, you finally show your true colors!" said Grim. "I bet you thought you were real slick, pullin' the wool over our eyes!"

"I knew it," I said in a low voice.

"How... How much did you hear?" said Jamil, eyes wide.

"All of it, from start to finish," said Jade. "Your entire conversation from the moment you left the lounge... has been live streamed to the world from Azul's smartphone."

"WHAT?!"

"Azul's Magicam livestream presently has five thousand active viewers. It's trending online under the topic: 'A Certain Magicians' School's Dirty Little Secret.' It's your moment in the sun, Vice Housewarden. Naturally, all the dorm students are gathered in the lounge, watching you." Suddenly, I heard the sound of pounding feet, and many Scarabian students burst into the hallway.

"Vice Housewarden Jamil, is everything you just said true?" said one of the students.

"Have you really been deceiving us this whole time?!" said another student.

"Talk about a wolf in sheep's clothing!" said Grim. "You're a fraud, through and through!"

"Y-you..." Jamil stammered. "You've got it all wrong. I..."

"Don't even try to talk your way out of this one," said Jade. "The mind control magic you used on Azul is hard evidence. Jamil... It's been you all along. You've been using your signature spell on Kalim and making him throw Scarabia into chaos!"

"Gh...! I was trying to avoid escalating matters, but you leave me no choice." Jamil's expression darkened. "Azul, I command you! Subdue and restrain them all."

"...Yes, Master," said Azul, and I flinched.

"Azul, no," said Jade. "You don't want to do this. Snap out of it."

"Pleading with him won't help!" Jamil said with a smirk.

"Yes," said Azul. "I am Jamil's loyal minion... or at least, you wish I was." He smirked.

Jamil appeared astonished. "What?!"

"Jamil, you said the funniest thing to me earlier. Allow me to return the favor. You thought I was an arrogant magician, but you were sorely mistaken. An embarrassing misjudgment for the vice housewarden of Scarabia—the dorm that embodies the spirit of mindfulness."

"What's going on? I know you made eye contact. I had you under control!"

"Please. I'm a competent magician. I always prepare for all eventualities before I act. Isn't that right, Floyd?"

"I think you let your guard down a little too soon there, Sea Snake," Floyd said in a very deep voice.

"MRAH!" Grim exclaimed. "What's with your voice?!"

"I signed a contract with Azul and got this rad deep voice for it. Whaddaya think? Do I sound all cool and grizzled now?"

I doubled over, laughing. "Oh no! That's not-" I tired to calm down but found it difficult. "Sorry, not appropriate." I clutched my sides.

"It's alright," said Jade, patting my back. "Take deep breaths."

Floyd shrugged. "I think it's cool. In return, I offered Azul my signature spell, Bind the Heart."

"And if you don't know what that spell does, your face is going to crack when you hear this," said Azul. "It jams an opponent's magic and diverts it elsewhere."

I took one more deep breath and found I could finally talk. "You used Bind the Heart to divert the mind control magic!"

"Brilliant deduction, Ona. And after swiping it from Floyd—ah, correction. After taking it as collateral, I used it to evade Jamil's mind control spell. Then I pretended to be his thrall and got Jamil to spill his true intentions as he gloated."

"I gotta hand it to ya, Azul," said Grim. "You're real dastardly!"

"I prefer to be called an intellectual. At any rate, I quickly deduced that Jamil was the only person Kalim would care about enough to fight back against Jade's signature spell. And that was the underpinning of my whole plan." Azul paused and glanced at me. "Actually, Ona was onto you the entire time, Jamil. She thought you were pulling one over on Kalim and wanted to help him."

Jamil narrowed his eyes at me. "You! This is all your fault! You brought in these purveyors of destruction!"

"You did ask me to help," I said. "You thought I was naive like Kalim and you could take advantage of me, but you were sorely mistaken."

"You do not want to underestimate Ona," said Jade, sounding almost proud.

"But you're still a defenseless, magic-less human with no power," said Jamil, his expression darkening.

"Wrong again." Jade and Floyd moved at the same time, standing partially in front of me on either side so I was half hidden behind them.

"She has us," said Floyd.

"You should think wisely about your next move," Azul said coldly.

"Yeah, or you'll end up with a piece of me!" said Grim.

"Ja...mil?" said a small, sad voice behind us. Kalim. "What is this? What's going on?"

"K-Kalim..." Jamil said, eyes wide.

"Y-you were controlling me? That can't be true, right? I've been having occasional blackouts lately where hours have passed the next time I come to... But those were just dizzy spells or me nodding off, right? I tend to doze off anywhere as it is. You've always gotten on my case for it. So, please, say it isn't so. Tell me I was just nodding off." Tears filled his eyes. I impulsively moved to go to him, but Jade grabbed my arm and pulled me back. "Mind-controlling me, plotting to expel me... You would never do any of that. Jamil, you're... You're the last person that would ever betray me, right? After all, we're best friends, right?!"

"Ha ha... Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha... Aha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"

"H-hey... What's wrong?"

Jamil's expression turned evil. "Oh, I'll tell you, Kalim. I'll tell you EXACTLY what's wrong."

"Huh?"

"You've been the same for as long as I can remember. Oblivious, gullible, foolish... AND I HATED IT! You trot along merrily in ignorant bliss, utterly blind to my suffering! Every time I see you smile, it makes my skin crawl! I'm sick of it! There's no point in maintaining my facade now. You have no idea how many days I've spent wishing that you would just go away. But that ends today! Myself, my family... I don't care about ANY of it anymore!" Jamil pulled out his magic pen with a wicked grin.

Kalim looked horrified. "W-wait! Jamil!"

"The one you behold is your master... When I ask you a question, you will answer. When I give you a command, you will assent! Snake Charmer!"

"Agh...!" the Scarabian students cried, clutching their heads.

"Wha—did he just mind-control the whole dorm at once?!" Azul said in shock.

"All of you, eject Kalim and the Ramshackle and Octavinelle guests from the premises!" Jamil ordered.

"Yes, Master," said the students.

"Jamil?!" Kalim cried.

"I don't think so," Floyd growled.

The Scarabian students closed in on us form all around. Floyd, Jade, and Azul formed a protective circle around me as I fought off the attackers. Kalim and Grim stood nearby, fighting on their own, and I did my best to direct the latter's action with what little information I could take in.

"Incredible," said Azul. "He's controlling all these targets at the same time AND making them do separate things! Mediocre, nothing. He's easily one of the top magicians in the entire school, to say nothing of Scarabia!"

"So, he did make himself look less powerful on purpose," I said. It was not a bad strategy, actually.

"I keep squeezin' em but they keep gettin' back up," said Floyd. "Are they zombies or what?!"

"Well, people normally stop fighting because the amount of pain makes it too difficult to continue. But Jamil is forcing them to fight and ignore that natural signal." It made me sick to think that Jamil was using his dormmates like that. We had every right to fight back out of self-defense, of course. Any injuries the students sustained were entirely Jamil's fault.

"Jamil, please, just stop!" Kalim shouted. "You can have what you want! You can be housewarden! I'll go home to my family!"

"What?" said Jamil. "You thought that would work? My spell won't be broken so easily... Kalim. Not as long as you exist in this world, Kalim!"

"Jamil, you don't have to do this," I said. "There are other ways to solve your problems. Calm down and discuss them rationally. I'll help you! We can figure this out together."

"You don't want to help me! You're out to ruin me!"

"It wasn't personal!"

"Jamil, you're courting danger!" Jade warned. "If you keep using your signature spell like this, you'll exceed your blot tolerance level and—"

"Shut up!" Jamil shouted. "Don't you order me around! I'm through following others' orders! I'm going... TO BE FREE!" Suddenly, he changed in an all-too-familiar way.

"No," I whispered. "Not again."

"What in the world?" Kalim exclaimed. "J-Jamil just transformed?!"

"The very air around us is changing," said Jade. "It's just like what happened with Azul..."

"Yeah," I said. "And Riddle and Leona..." I sighed. "I should have seen this coming."

"None of this was your fault, Ona."

"He's overblotted!" Azul said. "And right on winter break with no prospects of backup from any corner. This is quite the conundrum."

"Did he turn into another one of those dark berserkers?!" cried Grim.

"The negative blot energy is swelling up. Everyone, steel yourselves!"

"Come," said Jamil. "I'll wrap this up. I'm through living like this."

"We need to bring him to his senses, and fast," said Azul. "Once his magic runs out, he's done for."

"GYAAAH!" Grim shouted. "A giant monster! I'm scared!"

"Jamil!" Kalim pleaded. "Please, come to your senses!"

"Kalim!" I snapped. "I need you to stand with us. You need to help us fight Jamil."

"B-But-"

"I know you're hurt right now, but you'll have to deal with that later. We'll stand a better chance if you're with us. And if we don't stop Jamil now... he could die."

Resolve rook over Kalim, and he nodded. "Alright." He came to stand with my friends. "Let's do this."

We all stood together and fought together. Like every other overblot, the battle seemed to rage on forever. However, this time, we seemed the ones to be tiring first. When we paused for a break, Jamil towered over us with a sinister glare.

"I have no need for an incompetent king or a con artist," he said. "Your personality flaws give me ADEQUATE cause... To send you packing on a one-way trip to the ends of the earth! WHOOPEEEEE!" With a huge blast of magic, he sent all of us hurling through the dorm and into the sky.

"AAAAAAAAAAAH!" we cried.

"SO LONG! MWA HA HA HA HA! Ex-Housewarden Kalim! HYAAAH HA HA HA HA HA!"

"AAAAAAAH!" We continued to scream as we flew through the clouds. Finally, we landed somewhere dark and cold. I groaned as I sat up.

"Owww... I really can't catch a break around here," Grim muttered.

"I'm alive," I said. "Barely." Everything hurt.

"It would seem he flung us quite some distance," said Azul.

"Brrr! It's seriously cold here," said Floyd. "It's like we're under the ice floes."

"Kalim?" said Jade, kneeling beside the boy. "Kalim, are you all right? Please, speak to me."

I gasped and ran over to them. "Kalim?" I fell to my knees beside Jade and gently shook Kalim's shoulder.

"Rgh... Urgh..." Kalim groaned. "Where am I?"

"Good," said Jade. "You're awake. I believe we're at the edge of the dimension that contains Scarabia Dorm."

I let out a breath of relief. "I'm glad you're alright." Then I hugged Kalim like I wanted to earlier.

"You too," said Kalim. When I pulled away from him, he shivered. "It's so cold here."

"Grim is a ball of fur," said Azul, "and we merfolk have some innate cold resistance, but... I fear Ona and Kalim will not last long in this cold."

Floyd gasped. "Come here, Shrimpy!" Hearing the nickname in his deep voice caught me off guard, and I was startled when he pulled me into his arms. "Better?"

"S-Sort of," I said.

"If you really want to warm her up, skin to skin contact is best," Jade said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "So maybe you should-"

"JADE! Don't give him any ideas."

"Loaning her your jacket should suffice for now," said Azul.

"Okay!" said Floyd. He let go of me, took of his jacket, and all but forced the jacket into my arms. "Take it!"

"T-thanks." I slipped on the jacket, instantly feeling warmer even though the sleeves extended way past my hands. "Now we need to figure out how to get out of here."

"We don't have any brooms or carpets to fly out on," said Jade. "What does that leave us for options?"

"It'll be a slog, but walkin's our only way back," said Floyd.

"We spent quite a while in flight before we landed," said Azul. "It would take hours—possibly days—to trudge back on foot." He frowned at Floyd. "...And I can't take another minute of you with that voice, Floyd. I'm tearing up the contract and annulling it. Back to your old voice."

"Awww, but I liked being all baritone," Floyd grumbled. Azul pulled out a contract and ripped it up. "Mm, ah, aaah. Yup, all back to normal."

"Azul, thank you!" I said loudly.

Floyd looked at me with a teasing grin. "You like my voice that much?"

"Well, yeah. It's a part of you, and I like every part of you."

Floyd appeared surprised. "Even the bad parts?"

"Well, sure. They're a part of you too. Friends accept each other for who they are." I glanced at Kalim to find him listening with a sad expression.

"You know, Floyd, I'm impressed you're okay with making a contract with Azul and lending him your signature spell as 'collateral,' if I do say so myself," said Jade. "I'd worry about him inventing excuses to hold onto it indefinitely... So, I'd never make a contract with him, personally."

"Yeah, I wouldn't put that past him," said Floyd. "But I didn't care about gettin' my magic back all that much to start with. If I got tired of the voice, I could just change the terms to somethin' else."

"I'm standing right here, for the record," said Azul.

"Come on, guys," I said. "He wouldn't do that to either of you... I'm fairly certain."

"Thanks..."

A loud sob from Kalim caught my attention. "Jamil... I trusted you..."

"You cryin', little Sea Otter?" Floyd said with a frown. "Your tears are gonna freeze over, y'know."

"It's all my fault... I drove Jamil to the brink without even realizing it. The real Jamil would never do such things! He's a good guy. He's always helping me, giving me a shoulder to lean on, and—"

"Isn't that attitude right there what drove him to the brink?" I said. Clearly, he had not taken to heart what I mentioned earlier.

Kalim looked at me in surprise. "What...?"

"Hoo boy," said Grim. "Ona, you really go for the jugular sometimes."

"I'm with Little Shrimpy on this one," said Floyd. "Sea Otter, you're, like...TOO nice. It's kinda grating."

"Huh?" said Kalim. "Is it?"

"Yes," said Jade. "If I were betrayed by someone the way you were... I'd lash out with a torrent of unmitigated verbal abuse to break them down mentally, then bind them and drag them beneath the waves. The way you blame yourself and try to excuse his behavior is, quite frankly, a tad galling."

Kalim recoiled. "Galling? Really? But, I mean... Jamil would never betray me, ever."

"Uh, news flash: he did," said Floyd. "In fact, he was gonna make you out to be the bad guy and get you expelled. He's an enormous dirtbag!"

"When it comes to underhanded ploys, Azul at his worst still couldn't hold a candle to that," said Jade. "That's quite a feat, you know. It's okay to hold your head high and denounce him for the traitor that he is."

"That's...not much of a compliment," I said.

"You carry yourself like a goody-two-shoes, laughing off conflict with a flippant word or two," said Azul. "To twisted individuals like myself and Jamil... Ah, I mean, to calculating individuals, those remarks are like barbs digging under our skin. I'd say you've been pushing Jamil ever since your formative years. It's not your fault in the least, of course. You were born into a very high social class. As showered as you were with affection from your family and everyone around you, you grew up with honesty and integrity. An upbringing like that would make anyone take certain things for granted."

"I would argue that in Kalim's case, it might simply be a case of a naturally innocent disposition," said Jade.

"Oh..." Kalim murmured. "So Jamil is...bad?"

"Extremely," I said.

"I - I get that, but I can't I can't help but still care because he's-"

"Ohana?" I suggested.

"Huh?"

"Family."

Kalim sniffled. "Yeah, he's like family. It couldn't all be a lie... could it?"

I paused as I thought about it. "Well, just because Jamil is bad doesn't mean there's no good in him and that the good isn't worth fighting for. But don't you see, Kalim? If you ignore the bad, you aren't really being a friend - or family - to him. People want to be accepted for who they are, not who you wish they were. If you only focus on the good, it could feel like rejection to Jamil."

"R-Really?"

"Listen, after all this is through, if you still care about Jamil, I will teach you how to be a real friend to him. If you want to help him, I'll put aside my own anger and show you how."

Kalim pointed at the twins, who did not appear too pleased at our conversation. "What about them? They don't look too happy with Jamil."

"Of course not!" said Floyd. "He tried to kill Ona!"

"So did Azul," I said.

"Fair point," said Jade.

"Not only that, although Jamil is objectively worse, Azul subjectively caused me more harm - though I don't think he understood it at the time. He threatened people I care about, which made it a threat to me. But have I shown any resentment against Azul since then?"

Floyd frowned. "No."

"Exactly. Why should I treat Jamil any differently? You have to give people a chance to learn from their mistakes. If after everything is over and he is still a threat to me, then you can do whatever you think is appropriate."

"Perhaps a little anger on Kalim's part could go a long way to improving relations?" Jade suggested.

"Possibly," I said, turning to Kalim. "It would show Jamil that you understand the evil he has done. Plus, it may be therapeutic for you."

Kalim nodded. "Alright. In that case, I'd better get back fast! I must punch him and yell, 'Traitor!' I owe him that much."

"One punch ain't enough!" said Grim. "You oughta also make him march to the oasis and back ten times!"

"That, and we need to bring him to his senses fast," said Azul. "If we don't, his life will be in danger. We have to get back before his magic reserves run dry."

"That puts us right back where this conversation started," said Floyd. "How do we get back? Walkin' really fast?"

"My nose is gonna freeze over if we stay out here much longer!" said Grim.

I looked around the area and then at the twins. "I have an idea."

"Let's hear it, Ona," said Jade.

"If we fill up one of these dried out rivers, you and Floyd and swim us back in your mer forms!"

"Floyd and Jade can easily outpace brooms when they're in their true forms," said Azul. "But we can't exactly restore a dry river..."

"Kalim can!" I said with a grin. "It's his signature spell!"

"Yeah!" said Kalim, brightening. "My signature spell, Oasis Maker, can produce an enormous volume of water with just a smidgen of magical power. If I make you a river, you can get us back to the dorm, right?"

"Y-you mean to tell me THAT'S your signature spell?!" Azul said with wide eyes. "That's insane!"

"Aha ha! It's pretty useless when we've already got running water."

"Don't 'aha ha' me! Some countries don't HAVE that sort of infrastructure. Your power would make you nothing short of a hero to those people! That's... That's...ABSURDLY marketable!"

"Hey, don't get any ideas!" I said, shooting Azul a look. I put my arms around Kalim protectively and moved him out of Azul's view.

"You don't understand-"

"I think we can leave Azul to his get-rich-quick fantasies for a bit," said Jade. "Kalim, if you would oblige us?"

"You just need a river, right?" said Kalim. "Okay! I'm on it." He whipped out his pen and enacted his spell. Rain began to fall over the river.

"Holy mackerel..." said Grim. "The river's fillin' up with water right before our eyes!"

"Ona, would you mind turning around for a minute so we can change?" said Jade.

I blushed when I realized what he meant. "Yeah, sure." I turned around, covering my eyes for good measure.

"You can look now." I turned back around to see Jade and Floyd in the river in their eel forms. "Let's get moving before the water freezes over, Floyd. Now, Azul and Grim, grab hold of my back."

"Little Shrimpy and Sea Otter, you're with me!" said Floyd.

"Right," I said. I slipped into the water and wrapped my arms around Floyd's neck. Kalim slid in beside, and I moved a little to give him room. "You good, Kalim?"

"I'm great!" said Kalim. "Your mer form is so cool, Floyd."

"Thanks!" said Floyd. "Make sure to hold on right."

"Yeah, he swims fast," I said, "which is totally awesome."

"Wait," said Grim as he and Azul held onto Jade, "but I thought Azul was a merman. Can't he swim himself?"

"Azul isn't a fast swimmer, even in his mer form," said Jade.

"Yes, well, not all of us have tailfins like yours," said Azul. "Now, off we go to Scarabia!"