I made my way home after an exhausting day, and basically collapsed directly in bed. Sleep. Sleep was a wonderful thing. The best thing, really. Who didn’t love a good night’s sleep?

Papilion. That’s who didn’t love a good night’s sleep.

“You.” He said, entering my dream, doing his gnarly shapeshifting routine. “You’ve been on the planet for almost two decades, and you’ve done absolutely nothing. No changes. I showed mercy. I showed kindness. And you’ve spurned me, spurned my classes.”

I tried to protest, to explain. Papilion was doing that thing again where he wanted a “discussion” but wouldn’t let me say a word.

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“Prepare to be changed into a Golden Crow!” Papilion announced, and with that pronouncement, the world started to grow larger around me as I shrunk, wings replacing arms, feathers replacing fur, growing a third leg.

With an indignant squawk I took flight, only for a bolt of lightning to strike me.

I woke up with a gasp, covered in a fine sheen of sweat. I rapidly patted myself all over, making sure I still had everything, that I was still me.

I heaved a sigh of relief. All was good.

I got out of bed to get a drink of water, and promptly fell through the fairy ring that had grown beside my bed in the middle of the night.

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Oh no! The Fae are entirely unbound by any rules, and they've yoinked Elaine so hard, she ended up in a different novel! Read the next part here! Link!