“There’s darkness in that one.” The woman sitting on a stool in front of a Magic Mermaid slot machine didn’t quite manage to cover her comment, and Bronwyn Driscoll was reminded of how the old crows back home used to murmur as she slid by, doing her best to remain unnoticed.

This time, the raven-shifter didn’t have to hide. Instead, she stopped, turned around, and backtracked through the slots’ flashing lights, coming to stand directly behind the old woman and the friend to whom she’d spoken.