Antine pulled his thick cloak's hood tight around his face, trying his best to keep his head down. It wasn't easy, because everything in the carnival amazed the little fox so much that he was constantly watching everything with his eyes wide. He had never been to a carnival before, and Sundar had decided it would be a good experience. But both of them had to be careful. Thorneau was a plane dominated by humans, and Foraine especially did not take well to non-humans. Sundar, with his half-elven ears, would have been strange, but a foxfolk like Antine would likely be arrested.

And so, they had come to the carnival at night and near the beginning of winter, when Antine's cloak would not stand out as strange. His snout was the biggest danger, and Sundar had warned him numerous times to avoid crowds. Despite the warning, they had become separated, and Antine found himself standing in front of a crowd, watching a juggler as he performed his act. In order to hide his snout, Antine had his head bowed and could barely see the man.

After the show ended, the crowd applauded half-heartedly, left the man a few coins for his effort, and began to walk away. Antine breathed a sigh of relief as the crowd thinned, feeling like he had dodged a Jakkard bullet. However, once the crowd had mostly left, the old magician walked up to Antine and slapped him on the back in a friendly gesture.

"Did you enjoy the show, my friend?"

"Uh," Antine managed. "Yes. You're, um, very good."

"Really?" The man said. "Funny, I wouldn't have thought you could see it, staring at the ground like you were."

"Well," Antine started, but found he could not continue.

The man laughed. "I bet I know what you came for," he said. "I bet you were hoping for an Aubedore reading, weren't you?"

"Um, sure," Antine said, not knowing what the man meant.

"Well, you're in luck! Come this way!"

Before Antine could object, the man pushed him by the shoulders to a nearby tend and sat him down at a small table. Then he withdrew a deck of cards from a nearby chest. Antine kept his head down, and the man smiled.

"My name is Nasperge, by the way," the man said.

"I'm Antine," the fox replied into his own chest.

"Antine? That's a strange name." He began shuffling the cards. "So tell me, Antine, what would you like to know from the cards?"

"Know? I, uh, I don't know. What do they know?"

"They know a great many things. They can tell you about who you are, or what your life is, or even what will come in your future."

"The future, I guess..." Antine said, not really knowing a way out.

"Very well," Nasperge said, and stopped shuffling. Then he began to deal out the cards in a strange pattern on the table. "Let's see what the cards tell about your future then, Antine."

Nasperge flipped over the first card and froze, staring at it in shock. Antine, sensing the man's surprise, risked looked up slightly. "Is...is something wrong?"

"I don't understand this," the Magician said. "This makes no sense."

"What? What makes no sense?"

"You...you got The Teardrop."

"Is that bad?" Antine asked.

"I don't know," Nasperge admitted.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean, there is no 'Teardrop' card in Aubedore."

"How can that be?"

The Magician just shook his head. He flipped over the second card. "What the hell?"

"What is it this time?"

"It's another Teardrop!"

Antine whimpered. Nasperge scratched his head, then flipped over a third Teardrop card.

"This isn't possible!" the Magician said, picking up his deck. He flipped through the cards quickly. "These are all fine," he said. "How could I have possibly dealt out three cards, which aren't even in the Aubedore set, or any other set I know of, from a perfectly ordinary Aubedore deck?" He looked up at Antine. "What are you?"

Antine started to cry. "I don't know! I didn't do anything!"

A moment later, the tent flap was thrown open and Sundar Elarion stepped through. "Sorry to interrupt, but we should get going. Antine?"

The fox stood up and started moving over toward his friend. Then he glanced back at the Magician. "How much do I owe you?"

The Magician shrugged. "This one's on me," he said, and Antine nodded. He and Sundar disappeared out into the carnival, and then off the plane completely. Nasperge sat for a long time, staring at the strange cards before him. Finally, he just laughed. "Damnedest thing I've ever seen!"