They were all powerful, all beautiful, but all normal tricks for an incredibly powerful Alfar. Until she did something abnormal.

One minute she was giving us the jazz hands, the next minute she straightened, threw wide her arms, and transformed. Standing before us, tall and elegant, was a gorgeous white doe, sporting silver hoops in her elegantly pointed ears.

I remembered Anyan’s words from all those days ago, about how Alfar could do everything except shift. Which meant only one thing…

“You’re an Original, aren’t you?” the barghest’s deep voice rolled through the night air. The doe cocked her head, lowered her neck, and extended one foreleg to rub out an itch on her muzzle; then a second later the deer disappeared in a burst of magic, returning to her tattooed, human skin.

“You’re an Original,” Anyan repeated. And this time, he got an answer. Blondie put one finger to the side of her nose and winked. Spot on, the gesture agreed.

I let out a low whistle as Anyan started barking off questions.

“What do you want? Why are you here? Why are you helping us?”

Blondie merely smiled, raising her arms as her body rolled up like a window shade, leaving behind a white hawk floating in midair. And then the bird flew away.

We sat there, staring at the spot Blondie had vacated, both Anyan and I entirely speechless as we tried to figure out what the hell had just happened.

I knew Blondie was powerful; one of the most powerful beings I’d ever met. I knew she was also an Original, although I had little clue what this actually implied. I did know, however, that she was here for me.

I only wished I knew what it was she wanted.