The halfling rubbed her face with both hands to keep herself from laughing at what obviously wasn’t a joke this time. “Your spells just slip out, huh?”
“Okay, halfling. I know nothing like that has ever happened to you.” Mattie folded her arms. “But I’m sure, in all your infinite wisdom, you can step down off that high horse and imagine what it would be like to have less control over your magic in emotionally charged situations.”
“Hey, woah.” Cheyenne lifted her hands in surrender, only half-joking. “Going right for the throat with the sarcasm today, aren’t you?”
“You know, it’s been a go-for-the-throat kinda day.” The professor’s smile had taken on a hint of bitterness, but at least the moldy-orange scent had been fading since they’d decided to sit down and make this a real conversation. “I haven’t lost control like that for a long time, but apparently it’s still possible. I’m sorry you had to see it.”
“Better me than some other college kid crapping their pants because they don’t know what magic is. Better than you accidentally blowing up your class or something.”
“Still.” Mattie shrugged and let out a long sigh. “Thank you for stopping me.”
“Yeah.” They looked away from each other and just sat there in surprisingly awkward silence.
Finally, Mattie popped her lips and slapped her hands on her thighs. “Was there anything else you wanted to talk about other than my lapse in judgment and magical stability?”
She tried to make it sound like a joke, but it wasn’t as effective as it could have been when both women knew self-deprecating humor was just another way to bring that student-mentor wall back up between them again. A small wall, sure, but a wall nonetheless. Can’t blame her for that. I do the same thing.
“Yeah, actually. Couple things.” The half-drow pulled her backpack into her lap, unzipped it, and pulled out the drow puzzle box.
“No.”
“Oh, come on.” Rolling her eyes, Cheyenne nestled the copper box in her hands and leaned forward, propping her elbows on her thighs. “I haven’t even asked a question yet.”
“I don’t need to be asked to know I can’t tell you anything about that. I thought we already covered that part.”
“You knew enough to tell me it’s a drow thing. Which is definitely good to know, because it’s starting to do stuff.”
“’Do stuff?’”
“Yeah.”
Mattie eyed the cube covered in etched drow runes, then blinked at her student. “You know, coming from someone who’s probably already surpassed my knowledge of programming and technology, that wasn’t the well-rounded summary I expected.”
“Well, I don’t have a well-rounded clue what’s going on with this thing.” The halfling pointed at two runes on the top of the copper box, or at least what was the top as it rested in her hand. “I have no idea what this puzzle box is for, what it does, how to use it, or what these symbols mean, but these two right here weren’t next to each other before.”
There was a long pause while Mattie studied her student’s face. “Are you sure?”
“Kinda hard not to be sure when I’ve been looking at this thing my entire life, and all of a sudden it starts changing things up on me.”
“Hmm.” Glancing at the box again, the professor shook her head. “I don’t know anything about the runes rearranging themselves on the surface.”
“More like the surface rearranged itself.” Cheyenne gripped opposite sides of the box and tried to turn them again. Of course, nothing happened. “This thing started spinning and freaking out. It shakes sometimes.”
“It shakes?”
“Yeah, like a giant egg about to hatch. Except, as far as I can tell, there’s only a light inside and a drow Bunsen burner.” Mattie shot her a blank look. “It gets hot.”
“Ah.”
“No idea what’s going on?”
Mattie chuckled. “Would you like me to lie to you and say I have a hunch, but it’s just not my place to share it with you?”
It was the halfling’s turn to stare at her professor blankly.
“Sorry.” The older woman lifted a hand to her chaotically piled hair, then shrugged. “I don’t know anything about those artifacts beyond what I told you the other day. It’s a drow legacy, an old tradition, and a pretty well-kept secret even among magicals on the other side. You’re the one who has to figure out how to use it. That’s the way it works.”
“Great.” Cheyenne tucked the puzzle box back into her backpack and zipped it back up. “This thing’s gonna end up burning my hands off before I can figure out what it does.”
Mattie gritted her teeth, clamped a hand on the semi-charred armrest, and sighed. “But I might know someone who can tell you more.”
Cheyenne’s head jerked back up, and she stared at the woman with wide eyes before breaking into a grin. “That’s a start.”
“Maybe. Don’t get your fancy Goth pants in a twist.” The halfling snorted as Mattie pushed herself out of the chair and headed toward her desk. She didn’t seem nearly as wobbly anymore. “I knew a Raug back in the day. Kind of a nutcase, but I guess that’s what happens when someone’s spent a lifetime filling their head with random, seemingly useless facts.”
“You’re sending me to a Raug encyclopedia for something like this?” Cheyenne stood and slung her backpack over her un-black-magicked shoulder.
“If I can find him, okay?” Leaning over her desk, Mattie reached out to sift through the loose papers, frowned, and shook her head. “And that’s gonna take me a while. It’s been a long time since I’ve spoken to the guy, and I can’t guarantee he’ll remember me or want to do me a favor by talking to you. But I’ll see what I can do.”
“I’m good with that. Thanks.” As she crossed Professor Bergmann’s office again, the halfling felt a little weird about getting ready
