“I didn’t do anything. At first.” When Mattie just raised an eyebrow, the halfling relented. “I might’ve gotten into a bar fight last night.”
“Uh-huh. And you think it just took your magic right out of you?”
“A bar fight in Peridosh.”
The professor’s eyes widened, and the corners of her mouth twitched into a smile she tried hard to contain. “So, you’re branching out and getting to know Richmond’s magical underground, huh?”
“Something like that. But that’s what I want to know. Some troll got in a good hit somewhere around my kidney, and yeah, it hurts, but that’s also where everything starts when I—”
“Whoa, whoa. Okay. Slow down for a minute.” Mattie licked her lips. “You should keep an eye on that kidney, first of all. You know, if you start seeing blood in the toilet—”
“Yeah, I know how that part works.”
“Okay.” Lifting both hands in surrender, Mattie nodded. “Listen. I’m one-hundred-percent positive a troll did not punch you hard enough to knock the drow out of you. Okay?”
“Then why can’t I do anything? No magic at all. No changing forms. Not even sparks. It’s kinda freakin’ me out.”
“Yes, I can see that.” The professor folded her arms again and glanced away from Cheyenne’s face. “Why don’t you tell me about the necklace?”
“What?” Cheyenne glanced down at the pendant resting against the front of her turtleneck and frowned. “That might be one of the things you don’t wanna hear about.”
“Cheyenne, I know you didn’t get it from the FRoE. They wouldn’t know Heart of Midnight if it smacked them in the face.”
The halfling glanced quickly at her professor and her mouth popped open. “You know what this is?”
“I know what the stone is and a little about how it’s used. My gut’s telling me you don’t. Where’d you get it?”
“From a friend.” Her smile didn’t feel convincing.
“I see.” Mattie leaned forward. “Did this friend tell you what it does?”
“Uh…” Walkin’ a thin line, here. “We had a conversation about my magic getting too bright and loud. This thing is supposed to dampen it.”
The professor just widened her eyes and pressed her lips together.
“Oh. Seriously?” Cheyenne jerked the pendant back and forth across the chain, wishing it would loosen up. “He said dampen, not completely turn off.”
“Looks like you found your answer.”
“Okay.” The halfling unclasped the chain from around her neck and coiled the whole thing into one hand, then slipped into drow form the instant she thought about it. She nodded at her purple-gray hand, then slipped back into her eerily pale skin again. Corian better have a good reason for not explaining this. With a sigh, she wrapped the necklace around the collar of her turtleneck and fastened it again. “So, I officially feel like an idiot now.”
“Oh, that’s not the most embarrassing thing to happen in this office, kid. Trust me.” Mattie chuckled and gazed at the pendant one more time. “Plus, it’s almost impossible to know the exact effects of any charm if you’re not the one who casts it. Especially using a stone like that. Boy, I haven’t seen one of those in a long time. Your new friend doesn’t happen to be a drow, does he?”
“No.” Cheyenne picked up her backpack again and stared at her professor’s desk as she slung it over her shoulder. “Just friends with one, apparently.”
“Ah. That’s where he got it, I’m sure.” The professor squinted at the necklace. “It’s an interesting thing to carry across the Border.”
“Yeah, well, he’s an interesting guy.” And infuriating. “Oh, hey. What time is it?”
Mattie glanced up at her computer. “Two-fifteen. Did you get the chance to look at any of those spells yet?”
“Kind of.” Cheyenne shrugged. “I’ll keep you updated. I gotta get going, but thanks for…talking me down.”
“No problem.” The professor winked at her. “Try not to get in any more fights, huh? And go see a doctor if something doesn’t feel right.”
“I’m fine. Really.” Opening the door, the halfling gave her professor a final nod before slipping out into the hall. So many things don’t feel right. A doctor won’t fix any of them.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Cheyenne pulled into the parking lot of the retro red diner just off the highway and glanced at the clock on her dashboard. Ten minutes early. Guess this counts as being on time.
There were only a few cars in the parking lot, so she had no problem picking out Rhynehart’s black Jeep or Sir’s stupid orange Kia Rio. Slipping her hands into the shallow pockets of her jacket, the halfling stalked across the parking lot toward the diner’s front door.
The little bell jingled as she stepped inside, filling her nose with the scent of fried onions and grease and pancakes. Shaking her head, she glanced over the rows of red vinyl booths and saw Rhynehart immediately. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows but didn’t say a word.
Sir sat across from his second in command, and next to Rhynehart was a tall, broad-shouldered woman with tan skin and a short blonde bob. Cheyenne gritted her teeth as she approached the table.
When she stopped at the edge, all three FRoE members looked up at her, and none of them smiled. Sir blinked, his mustache twitching as he eyed the drow halfling. “Well, look who’s right on time? Don’t tell me you dressed up just for this meeting.”
“Had a problem with the laundry,” Cheyenne muttered, watching Sir’s gaze settle on the Heart of Midnight pendant resting below her turtleneck collar.
“I don’t care if you wear the same damn thing every time I see you. Hell, maybe you do. I can’t tell.” Sir slid over to sit across from the massive woman, who stared impassively at Cheyenne with her hands in her lap. “Cop a squat, halfling.”
Cheyenne tried to hide her grimace as she lowered herself into the booth, and she sat as close to the edge as possible.
Sir watched her lean away from him, then snorted and shook his head. “Interesting stuff you
