Val gasped as a new sensation shot through her chest. It was painless, yet it made her want to wriggle, too. Something now connected her to the faerie, and for a moment, Val felt the buzz of Fourth’s wings like they were her own.

As quickly as the magic came, it was over. The light slowly dissipated into a thousand silver sparkles that hung around them in a brilliant curtain, then vanished into the night. The amulet stilled, and the fae’s glow dimmed.

The faerie fluttered to the ground and landed on her hands and knees in the deep grass, panting. None of the knights moved to keep her from running away.

“That was it?” Julie asked.

Merlin nodded, pleased. “I’ve still got it!”

“Is she okay?” Val asked, staring at the faerie.

“A little uncomfortable, no doubt, but she’s fine,” Morgan assured her.

The queen folded her arms. “She’s fine for as long as you allow her to be, Val.”

Val rubbed the back of her neck. “Uh, what do you mean?”

“I cannot overstate the depth of the magical binding,” Merlin chipped in. “Eiravel, this faerie must do everything you order her to. It is part of her biological and thaumatic makeup now.”

Val stared at him.

“If you tell her to stop breathing,” the queen added, “she will.”

Val shuddered.

“You could kill her with a word,” Merlin told her, “and maybe you should.”

Julie cuffed him on the back of the head. “Hat!”

“Sorry,” Merlin muttered.

“Merlin’s ass crack,” Val whimpered.

“Hey!” Merlin protested.

“Sorry.” Val ran a hand through the locks on her new brunette wig. “This is intense.”

The faerie wobbled to her feet and pushed her shoulders back. She clenched her jaw so tightly that a lump appeared on her cheek.

What have I gotten myself into? Val wondered. She cleared her throat, trying to figure out where to go from here. “How will I keep humans safe from her in New York City?”

“New York City?” Merlin squawked.

“Easy. Order her not to harm any humans. She has to obey you, remember?” Julie told her.

“Wait! Hold on a bloody minute.” Merlin raised his hands. “New. York. City? Eiravel, you’re not taking this faerie home, are you?”

“What else will I do with her?” Val asked.

The faerie folded her arms. “What if I would like to be part of this conversation?”

“You waived that right when you tried to kill your sister and a group of innocent humans,” the queen snapped. “Be quiet. Val will decide your fate.”

“You have total control over her, remember?” Merlin shook his head. “Order her to stay in a cell at the Eternal Palace, and she will. She’ll be cared for. You could forget her for thirteen years and get on with your life.”

The faerie froze, wings drooping.

“I know that you know faeries, Your Majesty.” Val nodded at the queen. “I know them, too. Well, one. Imprisonment would be a fate worse than death. Besides, it would do nothing to rehabilitate her.”

“Rehabilitate?” Merlin scoffed.

“Hat. Shut up,” Julie ordered. “Val, go on.”

“I want to take her to the city so I can keep an eye on her and help her,” Val explained. “Wasn’t that the plan, Your Majesty?”

The queen’s lip quirked up. “I wouldn’t say ‘plan,’ but I hoped you’d take her home. You’ve recently renovated the apartment, right? Let her stay there.”

“You renovated our apartment?” Merlin demanded.

“Shhh.” The queen flapped a hand at him.

“That was my plan, Your Majesty, but I need one more magical favor, please.” Val gestured at the faerie. “She needs an intense glamour like Sinatria’s if I’m going to make her a functional member of society.”

The queen looked at Merlin. “Can you help her with that?”

Merlin sighed. “I don’t need to. She has to obey you, Eiravel. If you tell her to look like a human, she’ll look like a human.”

Val turned to the faerie. “What do I do?”

“Tell her what you want,” the queen suggested. “Let’s see what happens.”

“’See what happens?’” Arthur hissed.

“We’ve always done well by screwing around and finding out,” Morgan told him happily.

The faerie didn’t back away. She tilted her chin up and faced Val.

“Will it hurt?” Val hedged.

“It’ll hurt less than prison,” the faerie ground out. “Do it!”

“Okay.” Val cleared her throat. “Faerie, look human.”

The faerie screamed as her limbs stretched with audible creaks. Val cringed as Fourth’s body grew and swelled. Her wings shrank, and when she screamed again, her voice deepened. Her teeth shrank to human size, and her dress fell off with thin snaps of plant material breaking.

Arthur and Merlin averted their eyes. Fourth’s bare knees buckled, and she fell to the grass, panting and sweating, looking human. Her smooth back showed no sign that she’d ever had wings.

Horror boiled in Val’s belly like nausea, and she took a step back. What have I done? The extent of her words’ power made her loathe to speak.