“What does that mean?” he demanded, turning back to meet her gaze now that the glow of her magic had subsided.
“That is the extent of the gift I can give you,” she replied with a sigh, waving her hand dismissively. “I have no more control over the strands of possibility that I pluck from the Veil than the course of a leaf in the breeze.”
“I don't understand,” he said, more to himself than to her as he glanced down at his feet, frustration welling in his chest. “There have been no Changelings in hundreds of years. And the Golden Arrows? What does that mean, their call?”
“Could that mean a shifter, like us?” Kallik asked, the first of the three to break their silence since entering the hut. He could understand the connection, but Jerah shook his head.
“No, Changelings are... something else,” he answered, glancing between him and the hag. “They're fae, but they can change their appearance into anything, not just one creature. They're like shifters, but... more. Without the limitations. But there are none, not anymore.”
From behind his shoulder, Jerah could hear Torsten snort dismissively, but he ignored it. Though the hag had asked him to bring all three, the leaders of the kraken and dragon shifters still filled him with irritation. Their single-mindedness in protecting their own kingdoms from the Blight had vexed him for years, and he had long ago given up the hope of having a strong alliance between them the way he did with the wolf kingdom.
“Is that really all you can give? We've come so far,” Jerah said, turning his attention once more to the hag, but already she seemed disinterested in the whole affair, rising from her plush armchair.
“That's all I have for you,” she said, waving them away yet again. “Though, perhaps you can send this Changeling prince on to me when he arrives. I would like to speak with him.”
Jerah wanted to shout that therewereno Changelings, there would never be any more Changelings, but he bit his tongue. Perhaps the hag was playing him for the fool after all, but he would act with dignity all the same.
“Oh,” she said, and he perked up. “I do have a parting gift for each of you, to ease your way home.” She turned away to rifle through one of the many boxes and trays of trinkets surrounding them, finally emerging with four amulets of some gleaming purple gemstone, so dark it looked black as ink in the dim light. She presented each of them with one in turn; Jerah did not see if the others took them, instead turning the stone over and over in his hand. It thrummed with a magic he recognized, similar to his own shroud against the Blight.
“Now your journey will be safer,” she said, gesturing to the amulets. “These act as a shroud against the Blight. Though it doesn’t last forever, so I would still hurry home if I were you.”
It may as well have been useless. He could already create a shroud, though it would certainly make it easier for the shifter kings to leave without him—exactly what he didn’t want.
“Thank you for your help,” he said, barely above a whisper. He jumped to his feet, as did the others, though the hag did not turn to look at them again.
“Goodbye, then,” she said as casually as if they were leaving a common shop.
Without wasting another moment Jerah turned around and headed the way they had come, stepping beyond the threshold and feeling the magic shimmer away as he exited. For a moment the world was new again, and the four companions stood alone in the swamp: a small pocket of half-corrupted life amidst the burning, infinite daylight that had claimed so much of the Veil.
“What the hell was that?” Torsten grumbled. Jerah turned to face him just in time to watch the door to the hag’s hut vanish into the great tree—the doorknob that had once protruded from the trunk was now only a cluster of sickly green mushrooms.
“Is this what you were hoping for, Jerah?” Tetsuo asked, speaking for the first time. His sallow face sneered openly as he spoke
“I wasn't expecting this, no,” he muttered, pressing a hand to his face. It had to meansomething. “Just give me a moment to think about it.”
“I didn't come here for a fucking puzzle,” Torsten spat, and he turned to go, pulling the dark purple amulet over his head.
“Wait!” Kallik exclaimed, taking a single step to follow him. “You can't just leave now.”
“Like hell I can't,” the surly shifter growled, and with a few more steps he was knee-deep in the dirty water of the marsh. “I'm going home. This was a waste of my time. Unlike the rest of you fools, I intend to actually protect my clan and our kingdom.”
Jerah frowned, but remained silent. He should not be surprised that Torsten was just as hostile toward him as ever, but still it stung how quickly he abandoned their tenuous alliance.
The shifter's body glowed with magic, his shape morphing as he got further into the water, until finally he vanished in a splashing surge of tentacles. When the last ripples on the surface of the water faded away, and it was once more still and silent, Tetsuo took a cautious step away from them as well.
“I must agree with Torsten in this case,” he said primly, glancing up at the sky. “Jerah, I wish you luck in your endeavors, but I don't think I can offer the help you seek.”
“Wait,” he said in exasperation, but it was no use. Tetsuo's body morphed and shifted before his eyes as well, glowing with a greenish hue as it elongated into a massive, snake-like form. He leapt into the air, lashing back and forth in a serpentine movement as he flew.
Jerah and Kallik stood in silence for a long moment, Jerah scowling down at the ground. Finally, the last remaining shifter offered, “We're still with you, Jerah. Our pack has always been loyal to the fae kingdom. That won't change.”
“I know,” he sighed. “Thank you.”
He glanced away to hide the frustration and disappointment that must have been apparent in his face. It had taken so much effort to persuade the other kings to help him, and the moment they didn’t need his help, they were gone. He shouldn’t have been surprised. “Let's go. I have much to consider.”
