“Okay, wait a minute—”
“About this, Cheyenne. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe I’m the first and only person so far, magical or otherwise, to give you anywhere near this much information about your drow heritage or your legacy or who you are. Right?”
The halfling nodded once. “Pretty much.”
“So, don’t take it personally when I say you don’t know anything. Anyone who’s insulted by the truth isn’t ready for it. The Nimlothar is an O’gúleesh tree that used to grow…oh, just about everywhere, as I remember it.” Corian blinked down at the seed, sounding sentimental beneath his curt instruction. “The life energy of the Nimlothar is more directly linked to drow magic than any other. Don’t ask me why. That’s just the way it’s always been.”
“And they don’t grow there anymore.” When the Nightstalker just closed his eyes, Cheyenne had to keep pressing. “What happened?”
“They were cut down. Plenty of drow in Ambar’ogúl still going through their legacy trials and using a Nimlothar seed, but it’s regulated now.”
She snorted. “I have a hard time picturing anyone who’d want to regulate a bunch of drow mastering their magic while they try not to blow everything up.”
Corian’s lips twitched, but he didn’t quite smile. “Yes, I’m sure it’s hard to imagine much of anything from that world when you’ve never stepped foot across the Border and only just discovered its name.”
“Hey, at least I’m trying.” The halfling folded her arms, and Corian closed his fist around the glowing purple seed before dropping his hand back down by his side.
“The order to raze whole forests of Nimlothar came straight from the O’gúl Crown a few hundred years ago. That’s who’d want to regulate and oversee the drow legacy trials. They still happen, of course, but I’ve heard the drow in Ambar’ogúl have a much harder time controlling their magic with the Crown breathing down their neck. There’s very little room for inherent mastery when a monarch tells you when and how to do what can only be commanded from here.” He knocked his closed fist against his chest right over his heart. “The only remaining Nimlothar I know of grows in the courtyard at the center of the O’gúl Crown’s great hall. Not the kind of place you wanna find yourself in these days.”
“And you just waltzed in there to take a seed from the last drow tree?” Cheyenne cocked her head. “For me?”
“What? I’ve only crossed the Border once, Cheyenne, and I don’t know when or if I’ll be going back. I took this seed with me when I left. And yes, I’ve been saving it for you this whole time.”
She studied the Nightstalker’s impassive expression, then dropped her gaze to his fist. He came Earthside before I was born. “That doesn’t make sense.”
“I’m here to help you with your magic, not to talk about my personal timeline. Maybe another day.”
“Okay…”
Corian stretched his fist toward her again, opened his hand, and nodded at the seed. “Go ahead.”
A little zap of tingling energy shot through the halfling’s fingers when she plucked the glowing Nimlothar seed from his palm. Like my fingers fell asleep.
The Nightstalker’s flashing silver eyes moved from the seed to Cheyenne’s face and back again. “Down the hatch.”
She snorted. “Sorry. I thought I just heard you tell me to swallow this thing.”
“We both know there’s nothing wrong with your hearing.”
Blinking around the meadow in disbelief, the halfling let out a dry, sharp laugh. “I’m not about to eat some magical seed from the other side of the Border just because you say so. If that’s even what this is. And you can’t be sure it’ll do what it’s supposed to do on this side.”
“This is how it’s done in Ambar’ogúl, kid, and a drow legacy doesn’t care what world you’re on. Obviously, it found you here. Eat the seed.”
Scowling at the tiny glowing thing between her fingers, the halfling mumbled, “If I get some kinda O’gúleesh food poisoning—”
“I brought us through a portal, Cheyenne. Not into a time loop. Don’t waste it.”
She gazed at the stars in the black sky and slowly opened her mouth. The seed didn’t taste like anything, warm from her hand before she dry-swallowed it with a grimace. The next second, a much stronger tingle bloomed in her stomach. She swallowed again and hunched forward, her eyes watering. Don’t puke.
The tingling energy bloomed through her, shooting down her limbs and through her chest and all the way to the tips of her ears. Cheyenne lifted her hand to try rubbing the odd sensation out of one ear and felt the sharp, cartilage-hardened point beneath her fingers. She jerked her hand down and saw purple-gray flesh instead of pale skin glowing in the moonlight. “What the…”
“I’m pretty sure that’s supposed to happen.”
“Pretty sure?” She stared at Corian with wide eyes. “I thought this was supposed to help me control my magic, not shove me aside so a stupid seed can take the wheel.”
“I’ve never seen a halfling go through the trials, and obviously, the drow I have seen don’t have a second form to take.” The Nightstalker spread his arms. “But with a boost from an ancient Nimlothar tied directly to the power flowing through your veins, kid, why are you this surprised?”
Sucking in a deep breath, Cheyenne closed her eyes and reached out with her awareness toward the woods encircling the meadow. Better than a memory. This better work.
When she opened her eyes, she let out a relieved sigh and turned her human-white hand back and forth, just to be sure. Then she let the heat of her drow magic take over again and slipped into her drow form. She thought she’d gotten a handle on it before, but it was a hell of a lot easier this time. With a nod at Corian, the halfling shook out her hands one more time and bounced on her toes. “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Chapter
