“Nice touch, Em.” Nodding, Cheyenne shuffled across the room, now cleared of packing materials and empty boxes, and passed the iron staircase that led to the mini-loft on the way to her bedroom. She looked up at the loft, then shook her head. I can’t even think about computers right now.
With a quick glance at Matthew, Ember wheeled across the huge living room and muttered, “Just give me a sec, okay? I’ll be right back.”
“No problem. This pizza’s not gonna cut itself.”
The door to Cheyenne’s room opened swiftly, and the halfling didn’t bother to shut it before shrugging her backpack off and dropping it on the floor. Her black Vans thumped across the room, and her eyelids drooped as she stared at the purple velvet bedspread and all the pillows piled beneath the draping canopy of black lace and satin. I can’t think about anything.
Climbing onto the bed took the rest of her energy. She flopped over onto her back and stared at the peak of the draping curtains where they connected at the hook on the ceiling. Just then, Ember reached her open door and knocked.
Cheyenne gave a humorless laugh. “That’s new, you knocking on my door this time.”
“Yeah, well, no visiting hours in this place.” The fae girl smiled softly, her nose wrinkling in concern. “Figured I’d check in really quick. You okay?”
“Yeah, Em. Or at least I will be.” The halfling spread her arms across the mattress. “I just need some rest, I think. Rough day.”
“I can tell. You hungry?”
“Not now. You guys go ahead and enjoy it. If there’s any left, I’ll grab it later.”
“I’ll make sure to save you a piece or two. Or should we get a second pizza?”
They both laughed a little, and Cheyenne pushed herself up onto her elbows to look at her friend. “I’m not in a whole-pizza mood tonight, but thanks.”
Ember nodded, her blue eyes taking in the halfling’s wild black hair, the dirt smudges on her cheeks, and the punctures in the bottom of her left pantleg. “If you need anything, let me know.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell you all about it later, Em. I just can’t even right now.”
“No problem.” Ember glanced over her shoulder, then leaned forward and whispered, “I’m kicking Matthew out after we eat, just so you know.”
With a snort, Cheyenne nodded. “Does he know that?”
“Not yet. But almost a whole day with the guy next door reminded me why I chose to live alone in the first place.”
“Let me know if you need someone to muscle him outta here.”
“Yeah, okay.” Ember wheeled backward out the door, then deftly spun the chair and headed back into the kitchen, laughing. “Who taught you how to cut a pizza?”
“What? You mean it’s not an inherent skill?”
“For most people, probably. Oh, come on. You—” The fae laughed again. “How hard is it to cross the lines in the middle?”
“Oh, okay. Next time I’ll break out the ruler and find dead-center.”
Cheyenne rolled off the bed and lumbered toward the door to gently close out all the noise.
“I don’t need dead-center, Matthew, but that’s halfway between the middle of the pizza and the crust—”
The door shut with a soft click, and the halfling pressed both hands against the wall to hang her head between her arms. As long as she’s having a good time, I can ignore the noise. No problem.
She slid her hands off the door and turned back toward the bed. Her gaze fell on her backpack, and she paused.
A faint golden light spilled through the seams of her backpack, pulsing every few seconds. Cheyenne bent down with a groan and rummaged until her fingers closed around the cold metal of her drow puzzle box. The second she took it out, the golden light behind the drow runes faded and didn’t return.
The halfling turned the box over in her hands, studying the symbols. That one wasn’t there before.
She tapped the center band of the five that made up the Cuil Aní’s spinning layers. One more down. Only two more to go. “Whoop-de-doo.”
Taking the copper box with her, Cheyenne headed back to her bed and fell onto it. The legacy box clinked onto the bedside table, and the drow halfling turned onto her side. With the light still on and the velvet comforter still beneath her, she fell asleep in seconds, too exhausted and numb to think about anything else.
Cheyenne’s dreams were eerily like those she’d had of L’zar’s prophecy before Corian had given her the magic-dampening pendant, only this time, they were all smashed together. She dreamed of the clearing at the new Border portal instead of the dark, cold room of black stone smeared with blood. The cloaked figure kneeling in the center of all the dead drow bodies wasn’t L’zar or his halfling daughter but Maleshi Hi’et, her green eyes glowing above that wickedly predatory grin. The Oracle Gúrdu’s voice mixed with a woman’s as they laughed together in the same cadence. Black, glistening tentacles rose from the dark spires of the portal ridge. A beetle-thing scurried and scrambled along on its hundreds of legs.
Then the halfling became the portal, rising higher than any of the jutting spears of black stone, stretching out like the black wall of shimmering light across the entire clearing. The tentacles waving around and bashing the fallen drow bodies were her black tendrils of magic shooting from unseen hands.
The beetle-thing shrieked and jumped around to face her. When it reared on its back legs and exposed its underbelly, L’zar’s distorted face had replaced the nightmarish creature’s gaping red mouth, and when he spoke, Bianca Summerlin’s voice emerged. “Blood bonds with blood tied to chaos. Everything has a price!”
With a startled gasp, Cheyenne jolted up in her bed. “Jesus, these fucking dreams.”
She ran the back of her hand across her forehead and the thin layer of sweat coating it. Hissing in frustration, the halfling tugged at the hem of her baggy hoodie. The front of it was soaked
