tired. The water was comfortable. It filled Thalia with wonder to spread her wings, then furl them again. Every sinew, every muscle held strength she had never known she had. Her neck was long and strong. It was not infinitely flexible, of course. Her wings were not infinitely powerful. But this strength was different from her strength as a human. She delighted in it.
Thalia used her time alone in the Changing room to experiment with her new grace and power.
When playing in the water lost its charm, it was a short hop to the edge of the pool, where she could settle down to the soothing and necessary work of preening her snow-white feathers to look their best.
Thalia was pleased with herself right up until the moment it occurred to her that she had no idea how to Trade back to her original shape. Experimenting with her wings and beak was no more successful than pacing around the pool had been.
Drowning had been terrifying. Waiting for the sword to fall that night in Philadelphia had been terrifying. Fear had driven Thalia to Trade. Thalia considered the knot of emotions she remembered. Not merely fear. Anger. Sadness. Terror of what came next. Sorrow at losing her life so soon.
If falling in the water had caused the Trade, Thalia was going to have a hard time duplicating the knot of emotions. Falling out of the water was impossible. If she Traded when she thought she was about to die, then the knowledge that the Trade would save her meant she would never believe she was about to die.
At last, thoroughly disgusted with herself and the entire world around her, Thalia tucked her head beside her wing and fell into an exhausted sleep.
When Thalia woke, she was huddled in an uncomfortable heap on the walkway. She was soaked. Her clothing was heavy with water, her hair a sodden tangle around her shoulders. She was shivering. She was human. She was a Trader.
Thalia leaped to her feet, narrowly missing another fall into the pool. “I am starving,” she said aloud to nobody. She went up the staircase to the nursery. It made no sense to talk to empty space, but she was so glad to have regained the power of speech, she didn’t care. “What time is it? Is there breakfast?”
It turned out to be ten in the morning. As Thalia changed out of her wet clothing, she saw that someone had tended to the doves and the snake for her. There really was no limit to the luxuries a Trader household supplied, she thought gratefully.
The marvelous plumbing beckoned. Once she was clean and dressed, Thalia was too hungry to wait for her hair to dry, so she braided it, pinned it up, and tied a scarf around her head to conceal the worst of her dishevelment.
By the time Thalia was ready to emerge, Nell was in the doorway. “Nat says you did it! Congratulations!”
Thalia smoothed her white lawn shirtwaist as she tucked it into her dark serge walking skirt. “Thank you for letting me use the Changing room. It worked.”
“You are welcome, of course, but you did the changing. The room has no magical powers. That’s all you.”
“Is there any breakfast left?” Thalia winced at the whining, plaintive note in her voice. “I’m sorry I overslept.”
“You must be quite hollow.” Nell beckoned Thalia to accompany her. “I slept the clock around the first time I Traded deliberately. Tell me, how did you manage it?”
Thalia felt her face and ears get hot. “I tripped over your brother’s jacket and fell in the pool. I thought I was going to drown. I Traded. That’s how I felt in Philadelphia when I thought the sword would drop on me. Apparently that is what it takes for me to Trade, the imminent threat of death.”
“How inconvenient.” Nell looked intrigued. “But perhaps not insurmountable. How about Trading back?”
“I couldn’t. It’s lucky I got out of the pool before I fell asleep. I suppose if I’d stayed in the pool, I might have Traded back while I was floating in the water. Oh!” Thalia covered her mouth with her hand. “I’m afraid your brother’s jacket is still down there. I forgot about it.”
“That’s all right. Nat can fetch it for himself next time he goes down.” Nell ushered Thalia into the breakfast room. “What shall I ask Cook for? Coffee, of course. Eggs?”
Thalia gulped. “Not eggs. Not today.”
Nell went to see about the meal while Thalia took a place