Page 111 of A Shade of Myself
“That may be true.” I tilted my head and considered our avian audience. “But how would the Casino fare if all the raven shifters here in Vancouver disappeared?”
“That would be mass murder,” Poe said. “You’d never get away with it. Nor would the wolf.”
I gave an exaggerated frown. “I didn’t say anything about all of you dying.”
“You can’t make us disappear.” Poe twisted around to check where Laurent was. “You’re bluffing.”
I crouched down in front of them. “I’m all in and I’ve got an unbeatable hand. Are you willing—is the Casino willing—to take the chance that all I’ve got is garbage?”
Poe searched my face, their eyes clouded with worry at my unflappability.
I was a terrible poker player, but I wasn’t bluffing. Should I throw my cloaking over them all, they’d disappear. Sure, it wasn’t in the sense that Poe thought it was, but that wasn’t on me. Loopholes and language, I tell ya.
“Now,” I said serenely, “could you convince the Casino to participate and then give me your promise on that? And that neither Laurent or I will be harmed in any way.”
Poe trained their eyes to the sky for long enough that I was convinced we’d leave without getting a shot to ask the question.
All the while the wolf paced and the ravens silently watched the proceedings.
I forced myself to stand tall and calm, despite my entire body prickling. If I never saw another raven again, I’d be delighted.
Finally Poe stood up and gave a long, high whistle.
Ravens exploded off the branches, swooping down toward us.
I shrieked and threw myself on the wolf, not because I was scared. Fine, I was a little scared, but mostly I was trying to keep the wolf from attacking the birds. He couldn’t jump with me practically straddling him, but he still managed to drag me forward several feet.
All those wings beating in unison created a deep whump sound that I felt in the marrow of my bones. Dirt, tiny twigs, and pebbles batted against us, stirred up by the ferocity of the birds’ descent.
And then, in the flap of a wing, all fell quiet, like a blanket had been thrown over the world. Cautiously I raised my head and gasped.
Poe, Laurent, and I stood inside a small hut made of living, breathing birds. The walls and ceiling rippled like sports fans doing the wave. It was a solid wash of black feathers, their heads tucked and hidden under their wings, the room illuminated by some magic internal glow that mimicked the late afternoon sun outside.
The sight was both beautiful and dreadful.
“Welcome to the Casino,” Poe said.
I spun around but they were gone.
A slot machine with the same inky iridescence as a raven’s wing stood on an obsidian base. Instead of a button to push, this one had an old-fashioned silver lever to pull situated next to a coin slot.
“You realize this is a game, right?” I said.
“In this instance, it is merely the vessel of the transaction. Nothing more.” Poe’s words floated on the breeze.
I rubbed the token between my palms for good luck. “Here’s hoping.”
The wolf shot me a reproachful look.
“Be positive, Huff ’n’ Puff.”
I dropped the token in, part of me expecting the machine to remain dark, but it lit up with a bright bing! “See?”
The wolf sat down beside me with a snort.
I took a deep breath and gripped the lever. The metal was cool, its solidity reassuring. “What is the Ascendant?”
I pulled the lever and the machine rumbled.
