"I think this one would suit me, don't you, love?" Vida held an emerald necklace up to her neck. "Or would the plain gold one be better?"

"I like them both." We wouldn't get either, there was no way we could afford real gold and gems. I swallowed and pressed down the magic swirling in my stomach and beneath my skin. It was restless today, worse than usual, pressing against the inside of my ribcage and pinning my shoulders tense. I found myself wanting only to curl up in a ball until it went away.

"Hmm…" Vida set both necklaces down and picked up a bracelet made of black beads, with one shimmering white stone. In the back of my mind, I felt Nayan's gaze fix on the shimmery stone. "This would look nice on you, love. Try it on!"

Shiny… Can we keep it?

I slid the bracelet onto my left wrist. It did look nice. The single white bead stood out, a bright contrast to my dark skin and the darker beads.

Something else happened too, then. My head spun, and for a moment, I couldn't see anything past the black spots encroaching on my vision.

Then the spots cleared, and—

And so did the pressure from my magic. I felt lighter, even my breath came easier.

"How much is it?" I blurted out.

The shopkeeper barely glanced at me. "Two silver crowns."

"Two crowns for that?" Vida demanded. "Is it even really opal, or just glass? And most of the beads aren't even stone. One silver."

"One, and eighteen coppers."

I started to take the bracelet off, despite Nayan's protests. Even one silver crown was more than my mother and I made in a month, back home.

Vida fixed me with a look. "One and three."

I stopped.

"One-fifteen."

Vida scooped up a set of earrings I'd seen her eyeing when the shopkeeper wasn't looking, each a crescent of silver-white blossoms made to curve up the edge of the ear. "Two and add these in."

The shopkeeper paused in her polishing of a glass countertop and peered at Vida. "Two and five for the both, that's the best you're getting."

"Done." Vida dipped a hand into her pocket and handed over the coins.

The shopkeeper nodded with a bright smile. "Pleasure."

Vida smiled back and took my hand.

"Two crowns?" I said in an undertone once we'd left. "Vida, that's…"

"Not actually that much, here." She squeezed my hand. "Money was worth less where I grew up, a silver crown was nothing. It took me a little while to adjust to changing prices. But trust me when I say, we got a more than fair price, I expect she's discounting for the festival crowds."

I looked down at the stone on my wrist. "Oh."

"If it makes you feel better, you helped provide a distraction to get Bloom's birthday present at a better price." Vida chuckled and opened her fist to peek at the earrings. "Real silver, and even gold inlay, and that and an opal for just over two crowns! Darling, that's an excellent deal."

Ours, Nayan said with delight. I tilted my wrist and we watched the stone sparkle together.

I think, I said slowly, that it did something to me.

Tk? What?

I reached inside myself, to the place where my magic usually coiled. It wasn't there.

I didn't know whether to be scared or relieved. Without the pressure…

No, it was still there, just quiet. Calm, like a boiling pot taken off the fire.

I ran my thumb over the shimmering white stone and felt something, energy racing up my arm. I jerked my hand away and the feeling vanished abruptly. I touched the stone again, and there it was. Gone… back… gone again.

"Love?"

My head snapped up and I locked my hands behind my back. "Hm?"

"Are you alright? I asked, when's your birthday?"

"Oh. Incendi 36."

Vida spun to me, mouth dropping open. "Nearly two weeks ago and you never said?! Destiny!"

"It wasn't important!" I took a half step back.

"It is! Des!" Vida shook her head. "That's two birthdays I've missed, I owe you a present."

"You already got me one." I held up my wrist.

"Well, I want to get you another. Two birthdays and you never said a word!"

I shrugged and stuck my hands in my pockets. "It never really felt like something worth celebrating." Although… maybe now it could be.

"Oh, love."

I needed to change the subject, but the only thing I could think of was, "It's been a year, when's your birthday?"

"First of Vernal."

I did the math in my head. "It was your birthday the day we met!"

"And you're the best present I could have hoped for." She curled an arm around my waist and kissed the side of my head. "Come on, isn't there anything I can get you?"

I shook my head. "The bracelet's enough, Vida, really. More than enough." I felt lighter than I had in years.

We should see if we can still do magic! Nayan suggested with delight.

My stomach tied itself in a knot. Wasn't it enough that my magic was gone?

Let's try anyways.

We experimented later, alone. I left the inn during dinner to meet Nayan in the stable where Hope and Song waited— this time, Blythe and Seren had decided that everyone would come into town, so everyone could enjoy the festival.

They were already there when I slipped in, a dark shadow near the roof. I heard their cheerful clicking as they announced, Hello! I found horses! There's sixteen in here!

Oh?

I counted them, Nayan said proudly. Three times. See, I counted that too.

I couldn't help but chuckle at their excitement as I held up my arm. Ready to experiment? It was fine, no one would catch us. We'd be careful, just like I always had been. We'd be discreet, and careful, and I wouldn't get dragged off like…

I tore my thoughts from her face and focused on the talons pressed lightly into my shoulder, the inquisitive tilt of Nayan's head. What should we try first? Although we were alone, speaking to them with my mind felt natural, easier than speaking aloud.

Hmm… Let's… let's turn something shiny! Like a horse. Shiny horse…

Let's not do that. What if we can't put it back?

Then maybe a breeze. Get the air moving in this stuffy place.

Maybe. Despite myself, I let Nayan's eager, innocent joy infect me, raising my hands. Now, how do we do this…? Dishes were easy by now, in concept. I only needed to focus on what I wanted, the stain I wanted gone, and the water would scratch it away for me. I had the feeling that wouldn't work for air. Help me?

Okay! Nayan's mind opened, and all at once I felt the memory of air beneath my wings, my talons clawing the wind as I beat it beneath me to fly higher. The wind was comfort, safety— and then I dove, free of everything.

I realized my fingers were splayed, hands angled like they could catch the wind.

…The wind that was there, quiet as a breath but there beneath my palms.

I did it, I thought, giddy. We did it, Nayan!

Do it more! they demanded.

I turned my hand, brought it near my head, and felt the way it twisted my still-short curls. Amazing. The little breeze stayed in my cupped hand, even as I moved my hand around.

Catch my wings with it, Nayan demanded. Try it!

I'll try… I tensed my fingers, willing the breeze to strengthen.

Somehow, miraculously, it obeyed. With a delighted caw, Nayan leapt from my shoulder to my hand and hovered, my breeze lifting their wings.

Behind me, someone gasped.

The breeze sputtered and died. Nayan abruptly shot up, and I spun around, already trying to think of an excuse—

Vida stood in the aisle, haloed by dusty light.

"I knew it," she said. "It's more than just crow-whispering. Have you talked to Blythe yet?"

I shook my head, my fingers finding the white stone of my bracelet. It felt cooler than it should.

"Do you… feel okay talking to her about it?"

My heart felt like it was in my skull. No, I wanted to say, but Blythe had lied for me, let me join the pack, treated me like part of her family. She'd made me feel wanted.

So I said, "Will you stay with me?"

Vida crossed the distance between us til she was standing so close I had to tilt my head up to meet her eyes. "Yes, darling, of course." Then her hands were around mine, pulling my fingers away from the bracelet. "I know it's scary, but you can do it. I know you can."

"Can we do that now?" I suggested. "Before I lose my nerve."

"Certainly." Vida glanced upward, to where Nayan perched in the rafters. "Is that your Nayan?"

I nodded. "You spooked them. And me."

"I'd invite them to come with us, except I don't think they'd be allowed."

Tell me all about it, Nayan instructed.

I held back a laugh. I'm not sure I could keep from it if I tried.

Of course, nothing could ever be simple.

Tugging me behind her, Vida led me through the packed dining room, threaded between tables, and stopped so suddenly I ran into her. "Oh, hell."

"What? What is it?" I leaned over her shoulder.

There was a Lightguard, a member of the Emperor's elite, here. At the table. One of the winter demon's white-gloved hands rested on the table as he leaned over it, his spike-sharp white horns almost in Seren's face. I couldn't hear what she was saying over the clamor of diners surrounding us, but I could see the way Seren's chin jutted out and I knew that if she were wolf-shifted her ears would be pinned flat against her head. Beside her, Fionnuala looked like she wanted to tear out the man's throat.

Lightguards were good. I knew that. They helped the Emperor protect people.

The look on his face made me want to run.

"Stay back," Vida warned me softly. "I'm going to get him away from Fin."

"Wait, what—"

"He's going to hurt her." She kissed my hair, and the curls framing her face were the same yellow as Fin's, now, her eyes bright green. "I'm not going to let him." She pulled her hand free of mine and threaded between tables til she reached the guard. I trailed after her, murmuring apologies as I wedged between people. How did she make it look so easy?

And then she had the Lightguard by the hand, looking back at him with half-lidded eyes and a tight smile as she pulled him towards the door. He followed, eyes glazed over.

The pounding of my heart grew louder. This felt so, so wrong.

I turned and followed Vida out.

"In the stable," she said, in a barely audible purr. She caught my eyes and shook her head ever so slightly.

I looked at the Lightguard again and didn't listen.

Outside, the guard pushed Vida against the wall of the stable. Her wings appeared, flared out behind her as she put a hand to the stylized sun on his chest. "Stop."

"What?"

I moved closer, trying to be quiet. I didn't know what I'd do yet but… not nothing. I couldn't do nothing.

"Stop," Vida repeated, and something pressed into my mind and stilled my feet. "You scared my sister. That's not allowed. No one messes with my sister, am I clear?"

Slowly, as if struggling to get the words out, the guard said, "You're… thralling me."

Vida bared her teeth, wolflike, dropping her head like she was about to pounce. "I am. And you're going to step back, and leave, and never bother my family again."

The guard stepped back. I still couldn't move. He turned, slow, and the look on his face was so dazed I didn't think he could even see me. One step. Two. Three. Then he blinked, his face cleared, and he spun back to Vida. Ice spiked over his hands. "Faerie bitch. You'll go to jail for this, come here." He grabbed her wrist, and ice feathered up her arm and covered her mouth. Her glamour shook and rippled away, leaving her red-curled again, wings pinned to her back in fear.

My hands balled into fists. "Don't you dare talk about her like that." Something was strange, the stone on my wrist felt like it was burning a hole into my skin.

Something dark burned in the Lightguards eyes when he looked at me. He let go of Vida and took a step towards me. I stepped back.

And then something flew into his face with an unholy shriek. Stay away from my Destiny! Nayan screamed.

He hit them away without looking.

The stone blazed against my wrist. First Vida, now Nayan. They were just a bird, the most special bird in the world. "Go to hell!"

Flames erupted around him.

Someone screamed.

And my world went dark.