Page 376 of Eight of Swords, Part Two

Kade blinks. ‘Shit, he’s right.’

‘The ley lines obscure much,’ Blaire says, ‘but I agree.’

‘Can we do it here?’

‘Upstairs. Riley will help me,’ Lee says.

‘Why him?’

‘Let’s discuss this upstairs,’ Riley says, looking down. ‘Not here.’

Neutral tone delivered with an underline of tension.

He’s not happy.

But Lachlan is absolutely right.

This needs to be done.

‘Wait.’ Cole looks between them. ‘I’m so sorry, boss. Can I ask…?’

‘Ask what?’

‘Well, actually, it can definitely wait.’

Riley throws Vasily a guarded look before returning his focus to Cole.

‘No, go on. What is it?’

‘Finn and I are just very, very curious about Wildwanes.’

Kade says, ‘Now’s really not the time.’

‘It’s fine,’ Riley says, expression shuttered. ‘What do you want to know?’

‘How would a Wildwane be able to remove this… blood spell, for lack of a better term?’

‘It’s the perfect term,’ Finn argues blandly.

‘I don’t know,’ Riley says, looking to Lee. ‘Céliane?’

There’s something just a little accusatory there.

‘When a Wildwane shifts…’

‘Like, change physical shape?’ Finn interrupts, seemingly unable to help himself. His eyes are enormous. ‘Transform?’

Lee stares at him, unimpressed.

Finn shrinks into his chair a little.

‘Sorry.’

‘As I was explaining,’ she goes on, ‘when we shift, the majority of physical transformation takes place unseen. When we morph, however, microscopic fibres throughout the skin and connective tissue rupture and reknit, fraying like thousands of severed threads. To survive these changes, our bodies release a regenerative catalyst beneath the skin that repairs the damage almost as it occurs. During a morph, that catalyst reaches the surface. The very few Wildwanes ever captured for study were designated Fraymorphs for precisely this reason.’

‘What’s the difference between shift and morph?’

‘Shifting is the reallocation of strength, speed or resistance. Morphing, far harder to master, is an exterior transformation. The catalyst is only secreted through the skin during the latter.’