Page 79 of Faerie Fate
Shit, what did we do now? Where did we go?
Did we blast through the wall? Did either of us have the strength for such a feat? Not knowing how thick the stones were, was it smart to waste energy on that?
Or should we kill the burrendigger?
Once again, magic decided for me.
I bucked Poppy off my back to get her out of the line of fire and with a burst of power, I delved even deeper into my transfiguration powers.Not just shifting. I had two innate powers for a reason, didn’t I?
The magic decided the form for me, the form I felt would have the most destructive power against the creature.
The picture formed in my head and the magic took root, changing me in a way I’d only tried once before. The pen. The pen had been an awful transformation, into something without a mind, something cold and unfeeling and still. Something that trapped the life within me and smashed it down.
Changing to inanimate objects wasn’t smart. I’d told myself not to do it again. Made a solemn promise. But my subconscious folded into tiny portions, pushed back into the box in my mind. The small shred ofTavistill left maintained the image with the necessary magic.
I didn’t know the rules to these powers. There were so many rules to my fae gifts…but it was possible.
What happens when Poppy shoots?
Too late.
I was winging it again, in a dangerous situation which left me no time to think straight or regret.
The image of the gun held steady in my head. My skin turned to metal, my insides rearranging themselves to form the chamber. My body continued to shrink and compact even though logic protested. I’d gone from a form that was too large to something small and strange.
Poppy only stared at the Tavi gun, hovering in midair.
This is a very bad idea.
“What is that? What did you do?”
Wait…what?
Had she never seen a gun before? I didn’t expectthat.
Rocks slid, grinding against each other, the air growing warmer with the creature’s breath. A low growl sounded from around the corner.
The small shred of magical consciousness left allowed me to open the connection between us.“Pick me up. Pull the trigger. I’ll be able to kill this thing. You have to aim for whatever part of it is the weakest.”
Even the small amount of magic that let me communicate took a toll. My reality shrank even further when Poppy picked me up.
The beast came into sight with a flash of those lethal fangs. Poppy’s hands were warm on my handle, steady on the trigger, and she let loose with the bullets.
Without eyes to see, my other senses took up the bulk of responsibility. So strange. The passage of time meant nothing to me but this was different to blacking out. I recognized movement when Poppy’s fingers tightened and held me steady. I heard the gunshots go off, each one of them accompanied by pain ricocheting through me.
Poppy stepped forward, her groan of despair vibrating through me, and I settled into the pain. Waiting until it subsided.
Finally, the beast’s grunts subsided. The gurgles fell silent, my gun body pained and vibrating.
Something was wrong.
I felt Poppy set me down.
“Can you…change back now?” she whispered. “You’re scaring me.”
I sent the magic through me, ready for my skin to stretch and spread and go loose. Ready to feel my lungs inflate again and to work my jaw, tilt my head. Ready for the tang of magic to sear my nose.
The first attempt to shift brought with it a rush of pain so devastating it stopped the magic in its tracks.
