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flicked a gaze at Alatas and smiled, “You may as well ask, when did I start to breathe , it is the same thing. When I was little, my mother gave me a pencil and paper to keep me quiet. I never let it go. When I need to calm down, I draw. When I need to think, I draw. And when I need to make an image of a backstabbing human, I draw.”
    Tamora laughed and went to fetch more coffee.
    Ty watched the face appear under her pencil. When she was staring at the man she wanted to claw into a bloody heap, she flipped the page and went to work on his sister.
    Her hand blurred across the paper and she sketched the woman. When it was finished, she rubbed her hands together and reached for her cool coffee.
    Al took the sketchbook and he nodded. “That is amazing. I mean, I knew that you could draw people, but I have never seen it before.”
    “I only need to do it in situations like these, when taking a snapshot would have gotten us killed. I had my phone with me, but I didn’t think that taking a picture was a good idea.”
    He chuckled. “I was thinking the same thing. Mind you, I was still struggling with that drug. How did you avoid it?”
    “I was a sissy. I told them that I didn’t like the taste, and they swapped it into my normal cheap beer selection. I had to drink some, but then, I went to the ladies’ room and puked it up then flushed it with half a litre of water.”
    He winced. “That sounds unpleasant, but I am glad you did it, because with her pinning me to the back of the booth, I didn’t have a chance to dodge.”
    She cocked her head. “Are you still seeing that skunk?”
    Tamora laughed.
    Al blinked. “Um, no. She headed to the Crossroads a year ago when it was obvious that I wasn’t interested in making our relationship permanent.”
    “Ouch. Well, that certainly sends a signal. Nothing like going off to the Crossroads to let a guy know that she doesn’t consider him mate material.”
    He shrugged. “We weren’t right for each other. We both knew it.”
    Tyanna grinned and finished her coffee. “At least you figured it out on your own.”
    Al sighed. “Yes. I believe she married a badger. They were a much better fit.”
    Tamora was watching them with a soft expression on her features. Her phone rang and she jerked upright. “He’s here? Right. We are on our way.”
    She hung up and the slight crest of hair was smoothed down with her practiced hand.
    As Tyanna got to her feet, she realized that she had never considered a cockatoo as a boss, but Tamora was ideal. Her hair standing in a crest when she was startled never failed to be funny.
    Ty had never seen her fully transformed, but the crest that emerged was bright blue against her dark hair and deep chestnut skin. It stood out.
    Al stood next to her and she noted that he was quite a bit bigger than she was in human form. It always amused her that when they shifted, they switched physical advantage. He was swaying a little so she was guessing that he wasn’t as clear of the effect as he tried to pretend.
    With the sketchbook back in hand, she moved with her little group to one of the large conference rooms where a tired-looking mage sat talking to the equally rumpled council member.
    “Tyanna, Alatas, this is Mage Guild Master Tobias Orcross. We are waiting for the fey representative, but they said they were on the way.” Tamora smiled brightly.
    Ty felt the change in the local atmosphere. “The fey is here.”
    Master Tobias gave her a strange look. “You look familiar.”
    She stepped forward and gave a short bow. “We have met before. Tyanna Willow Wu, at your service.”
    “Ah, the bear that was raised by Ekiadu.”
    She didn’t correct him with details. “Yes.”
    He extended his hand. “I am pleased to meet you formally. I have heard excellent things about your adventures.”
    Tyanna shook his hand and felt the exploration of power run up her arm. It was a common mage’s trick. She looked him in the eye, and his expression was one