“Wow.” Mattie’s eyes widened, and there was that flash of light that wasn’t light again. “You’ve got me beat with course content, but I get to be the expert on you, huh? This’ll be fun.” She rubbed her hands together. “How much time do you have?”
“As much time as it takes,” Cheyenne muttered. “As long as what you tell me makes any kinda sense.”
“I like your attitude, kid. We’ll work on that too.”
Chapter Twelve
“You must help me out a little here, though.” Mattie leaned forward and winked. “I know you’re smart enough to figure out what the word halfling might mean.”
“Half-human.” Cheyenne glanced at her hands, then peered at the wall behind Mattie’s armchair. “Half something else.”
“And in your case, that something else would be?”
When Cheyenne still wasn’t forthcoming with the information her professor wanted, the older woman rolled her eyes. “This is a give and take kinda thing, Cheyenne. I need to gauge how much you understand before I spout a bunch of information you may or may not be ready to hear. So what is it? Half-human and half…”
“Drow. I think.” Cheyenne cleared her throat.
“Thank you. Drow. That’s an old word for an even older race. Do you know what it means?”
Cheyenne shrugged. “Some kind of elf.”
“Some kind… Are you not going to take this seriously?”
“Not when it feels like you’re trying to drag me around in circles.” The half-drow’s nose wrinkled, and the chains on her wrists jingled when she reached up to scratch the back of her neck. “I’m waiting to see if coming to you was a good idea.”
“When you know nothing and someone who knows about magic comes along and says they can help you, it’s a good idea to take advantage of the offer. Unless they’re trying to sell you someone else’s organs.”
“What?”
Mattie shook her head. “Let’s table that for later. The drow aren’t just any kind of elf.”
“Yeah, I know. Dark elf, which is why my skin changes color, and my hair goes all freaky white, and I can’t control myself. Next.”
The professor pursed her lips. “And you first heard the term ‘halfling’ yesterday, huh?”
Cheyenne propped her arms on the armrests and shook her head. “It’s not like I grew up clueless about what makes me different. When I couldn’t figure it out by myself, my mom…” She stopped and frowned. I need to stop talking.
“Your mom. Right. Well, it doesn’t surprise me Bianca Summerlin would know enough to give you at least a few pieces of the puzzle.”
“I don’t wanna talk about my mom.”
Mattie appeared puzzled. “Why not?”
“She’s not… She has nothing to do with this.”
More like she has no idea what I can do, and she doesn’t know how to use or handle or even recognize magic. Cheyenne pushed her tongue against the back of her teeth and forced herself not to get up out of that armchair.
“That’s a little simplistic, don’t you think?”
“No.” The half-drow shifted in her chair. “Beyond her giving birth to me, she has nothing to do with this. I don’t need you to explain to me where halfling babies come from.”
“Well, isn’t that a major relief?”
Cheyenne rolled her eyes but couldn’t help a small smile as she avoided Mattie’s gaze. “You’re making fun of me.”
“Me? No way.” Mattie smirked and shook her head. “So your mother told you what you are. Does she know who your dad is?”
“Nope. He has even less to do with this than she does.”
“I understand. It’s tough trying to make things work in a world most people don’t know exists.” The professor held up a finger when Cheyenne opened her mouth. “We can get to that later. I’m trying to get to the part about me giving you useful information.”
Cheyenne shut her mouth and huffed an airy chuckle.
“You put two and two together, Cheyenne. A halfling is half human and half something else; in your case, half-drow. Most people, magicals included, are shocked and certainly skeptical to see, hear, or even smell a halfling.”
Ember’s words at the bar the night before came trickling into Cheyenne’s head. “Because everyone thinks halflings are just a myth, right?”
“Listen to you. Well done.” Mattie shifted and crossed her legs in the opposite direction, then spread her arms. “There are plenty of documented magicals here.”
“In Richmond?”
“All over the world. That’s kept under wraps, for obvious reasons. But, in all the time I’ve spent on this side of the Border, you’re the first halfling who hasn’t been a myth. You’re very real. Or I’ve lost my mind. But the point is—”
“What Border?” Cheyenne leaned forward, thinking of the orc and the same thing he’d said at the skatepark. Her lower spine felt warm.
“That’s something we can get into later.”
“I heard someone else talking about a Border too. And a…portal.” Despite wanting to tread carefully, Cheyenne couldn’t keep her voice from rising in volume. “What is it?”
“Cheyenne, we need to ease into this.”
“We don’t need to do anything. You said you could help me, and I want to know what—”
“Enough!” Mattie slammed her fist on the armrest, and a crackle of silver light erupted across the fabric.
Cheyenne’s skin tingled. She stopped asking questions and stared at her professor’s fist.
Mattie blinked, took a breath, and dipped her head. “I’m sorry. I’m realizing I didn’t start this off the way I should have. So, you won’t like the next thing out of my mouth, Cheyenne, but it must be said. After that, it’s up to you whether you want what I’m offering.”
“I’m all e—” The half-drow stopped and grimaced at the saying. She sat back in the chair.
“All ears.” Mattie chuckled. “The irony’s not lost on me, either. You ready to listen?”
Cheyenne gestured with a sarcastic flair toward her professor. The chains on her wrists jingled against each other. “I’m still here. Let’s do this.”
Mattie studied her student with a predatory glint in her eye. She didn’t seem phased by Cheyenne’s sarcasm or her impatient scowl. “Fantastic. You have questions. How could
