The human was the first to speak, words loud and clear. “Alright, Destiny, nice display. Can you really communicate with that bird?”

Nayan cawed and announced in my voice, “I can talk too. And yes.”

It feels so weird to hear you talk with my voice instead of yours, I said.

Well, it’s my favorite voice.

I couldn’t help a smile as I raised a hand to pet their head. “Yeah, we can talk to each other, out loud and mentally. Need a demonstration?”

“If you wouldn’t mind.”

“Sure.” Nayan leapt off my shoulder and soared in a wide loop over to the table. “Tell them something, and I’ll tell you what it is.”

The human tilted his head, then beckoned Nayan closer. He whispered something to them, covering his mouth so I couldn’t even see his lips move.

“Your name is Amron,” I said, hearing the words as Nayan did. “Sorry, you’ve known Blythe for how long?”

Amron dropped his hand, and Nayan returned to me. “Since we were kids, yes. That’s enough, I think.”

“Can you demonstrate your magic for us?” the fire demon asked.

I shrugged, pretending I wasn’t tense. He made me nervous, he looked stern and sharp like the only teacher I’d hated, when I was eight. And something else about him reminded me of the demon Blythe had— “Can you tell me your names?”

“Why don’t you demonstrate your magic first?” He laced his fingers together, leaning his elbows on the table. “We’ve all been curious.”

The vampire nodded, his dark glasses sliding down his nose. His eyes were blood-red.

I wrapped my right hand over my left wrist, feeling the pressure of the hard beads beneath my fingers. The opal seared into them, tingling energy like pins and needles in my hand. “Fine. What do you want me to do?” They didn’t trust me, fine. They probably saw some barely-educated village girl who’d bumbled into her power. I’d prove they were wrong however I needed to.

The sprite’s wings fluttered, orangey-red shimmering in the low light. “Can you use any kind of illusion magic or glamour? Give yourself wings, perhaps?”

I don’t know how to do that, I confided to Nayan. I guess I can try…? I’d love to fly, if I could.

Can’t back down now, my Destiny. Nayan hopped to the edge of the table and looked at me, cocking their head. Tk. Feel mine.

I closed my eyes and reached out, more intentionally than last time.

I was half in Nayan’s body, I could feel their– my– our– wings, the ripple of air through our feathers, the scratching of our talons on the table. I saw myself through their eyes, only my lips moving as I whispered, “Wings.”

Back in my body, my skin prickled.

I watched from Nayan's eyes as black feathers began to sprout from my arms, replacing the sleeves of my suit. They got longer and longer, layering just like Nayan’s feathers, until I had giant crow’s wings instead of arms.

I blinked back to my body and raised my arms. The beautiful glossy wings at my sides lifted, feathers spread out. I grinned, in shock at my own achievement. “Like this?”

The sprite’s eyes were wide. “I was imagining wings like my own, but that is at least as impressive. Can you fully shapeshift?”

“Yeah,” I said nonchalantly, as if I did so every day. Truthfully, I had no idea, but it seemed likely. I could turn my arms to wings, couldn’t I?

“Oh?” said the gold-haired felivir.  “Prove it. You choose a form.”

I glanced at Vida.

“It’s up to you, my love.” Her wings fluttered behind her.

Help me do this, please. I asked Nayan.

They shared confidence, surety in my abilities.

I took a breath, formed the image in my mind, and imagined shaping my body into it.

It was incredibly strange to feel my body shrink down. I swore I felt my skeleton collapsing, but my body felt so far away it could have been my imagination.

It seemed an eternity before I was a crow like Nayan, beating my wings in the space my head had occupied seconds before. I fluttered over to Vida, lighting on her arm when she held it out. Her giggle was a light breeze in my feathers.

“They’re really a bird now?” the felivir asked.

Vida nodded. “They are.”

And then I wasn’t anymore, fully human almost on top of Vida. I had to grab onto her to steady myself as my feet hit the ground. “Oops. I can’t stay in another shape for long, I guess.”

“Shapeshifting and mental communication,” the demon said. “What about elemental control?” He held up a hand and flames appeared in his palm, flickering gold and red.

My mind snapped back to the Lightguard who’d hit Nayan– the fire, and the breeze I’d used before that. I stepped away from Vida, unable to look at her. “Yes. I can do that too.”

“Prove it. Fire and ice.”

This time, at least I felt I knew what to do. My hands tightened into fists as I reached for something inside, the part that had only wanted to see the Lightguard dead for daring to hurt Vida and Nayan. I swallowed back the twisting, sickening guilt, held my breath and forced myself through what felt like a barrier in my mind. I raised my hands sharply from my sides, snapping them up with my fingers curled into tight claws.

Flames sprang up around me, leaping nearly as high as my chin. Their heat flared out, and I was glad to realize the floor was stone.

“Are they real?” the vampire asked.

The fire demon nodded. “Yes, they are. Now ice?”

That was harder. “Okay… ice.” I clenched my fists and imagined a snowstorm. 

The opal cooled, but the fire got taller.

No. No no no!

Ice is the opposite of fire. What’s the opposite of wanting someone dead? Wanting them alive? 

“I said ice.”

The fire expanded. That wasn’t it. All I smelled was smoke, fire all around, I couldn’t breathe, and where was Nayan? They were gone, all I could hear was his screams–

“Destiny,” Vida said, quietly. The flames, my flames reached for her hungrily, closer and closer to her hair, her wings.

Cold fear feathered over my heart and down my arms. It spread out from my feet as Vida stepped closer, overtaking the flames. They extinguished immediately.

I let out a breath, my heart beating rabbit-fast.

The flames hadn’t been that close to Vida, right? Closer than I’d wanted, but now they weren’t there I was pretty sure they hadn’t been as close as I’d thought.

I tried to take a step and realized my feet were frozen to the floor. I wrenched them up, struggling against the ice until it came apart in splinters and then a burst of water. I threw my arms around Vida. “Oh gods, Vida, oh gods, I’m so sorry. I can’t believe I–”

She hugged me back and kissed my cheek. “I’m not hurt, Des, relax. I’m fine.”

I craned my neck to check on her wing. “Are you sure?”

“Very, see?” Vida stretched her wing out. I touched the edge gingerly. 

“I thought I’d hurt you.” My voice cracked. 

“You didn’t,” she promised.

The vampire cleared his throat, and I looked up to meet cold crimson eyes, like drops of blood in his pale face, as he moved the glasses to rest on his head. “I have a question as well.” Leaning forward, he asked, “Why should we trust you?”

Why should they trust me? I was a stranger, a nobody.

Because you want to help them, Nayan said. Tell them that.

I don’t think it’s that simple. I could be lying.

I trust you.

But you know my mind– literally. I crossed my arms and said, “You’re the ones who asked me here. Do you want to trust me or not?”

One eyebrow arched. “If the only reason you’re here is because we asked you to come, we’ll be better off without you.”

“I didn’t say that.” I raised my right hand to let Nayan land on it, trying to stay calm. I had to impress them. “Nayan and I want to change things. I don’t want to have to pretend to be a boy just to hold Vida’s hand in public. And Nayan should be able to go places with me without getting chased out.” I glanced over my shoulder at Seren, standing a few feet off beside Stella. She gave me an encouraging nod. “Trust me or not, but Seren and Blythe trust me. Don’t you trust their judgment?”

The human, Amron, smothered a chuckle, glancing over at the werewolf. “Generally, yes.”

“They’ve been wrong before,” the vampire said stiffly. “We have to be cautious, I’m sure you understand.”

My nails dug into my palms as I glared at the vampire. “That’s not an answer,” I snapped. “And now I have a question for you: Why should I trust you?”

“What?”

“Seren and Blythe trust you to change things– but why should I? You won’t even tell me your names.”

The vampire looked taken aback. “Leave if you like, then. We wanted to see what your magic could do, and now we have. If you can’t commit, you’re useless to us.”

Useless. I flinched, felt my hands curl into fists. “If you want to think that, then fine. I– I need a minute.” I turned on my heel to storm out, angry tears burning behind my eyes.