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The sound of footsteps drew Stephen’s attention away from the relic he’d been showing to Tony. Apprentice Mehra was hurrying into the relic hall with a dull silver dish containing a dozen similarly dull silver spheres. “Slower, Apprentice,” Stephen called out. “If you don’t have time to be careful with those, you shouldn’t be handling them at all.”
Mehra slowed to a stop and shot Stephen a bright smile. “It’s fine, Master Strange, they’re secure!” He gestured with the dish… and one of the spheres rolled off the top, slipped over the lip of the dish, and skittered across the floor with a musical noise before bumping into Tony’s foot. He barely had time to yelp before he was engulfed in a swirl of silver light.
“You were saying?” Stephen said dryly. He crossed the room and took the dish from Apprentice Mehra before turning to check on Tony.
Where Tony had stood there was now only a bird with glossy black feathers. A crow, or maybe a raven; Stephen didn’t know enough to tell the difference.
“Crap,” Mehra breathed quietly.
The crow cawed loudly and hopped a few times in place, then turned to look at Stephen.
“It’s temporary,” Stephen assured Tony. “You’ll be human again in a couple of hours.”
Tony let out a truly deafening series of caws and then launched himself into flight. He headed straight for Mehra and proceeded to beat the apprentice about the head with his wings, cawing the whole time.
“Is he okay?” Mehra asked desperately, trying ineffectively to shield his head with his arms.
“Just angry,” Stephen said dryly.
Mehra swore as a wingbeat caught him solidly across the face. “Can you call him off?!”
Stephen considered. “I could try, but I don’t think I will. Consider this a learning experience.”