“You would if you got out of the way fast enough.” The goblin woman wiggled her eyebrows at the halfling before casting a spell and disappearing like Byrd.
Persh’al went next, and Corian stepped toward Cheyenne before muttering in a low voice, “Keep that pendant on for now. We’re going back to our regular precautions.”
The halfling nodded and gazed into the dark, shimmering air of the oval portal in front of her. On the other side, a short cement walkway cut through a yard of green grass toward a small white one-story house with navy-blue shutters and a matching door. “No candles for this one?”
He snorted. “This warehouse has enough wards to keep an ogre den out, Cheyenne. Nobody’s picking up a portal trail from in here.”
When she turned toward him to make a quip about ogre dens, the Nightstalker was gone. “Woah. Okay, I’m adding this to the list of spells you’re helping me with.”
“Sure.”
Byrd chuckled softly on the other side of the portal, his voice growing louder and closer as the other invisible magicals apparently lined up behind the halfling. “You’re teaching our girl spells now too, Corian?”
Cheyenne eyed the empty air and turned by instinct when she felt the heat of three more bodies behind her. “Anyone gonna work that invisibility thing on me?”
She heard Corian’s soft laugh through his nose. “Another time, kid. You’re going through this one as you are.”
“And that’s because…”
“You’re gonna be the first thing she sees when she opens the front door. After you.”
Never show up at someone’s home unannounced, Cheyenne. Mom would be furious if she knew about this. Cocking her head, Cheyenne stepped through the portal and onto the sidewalk in front of Professor Mathilda Bergmann’s house.
Chapter Seventy-Five
The soft tingle of the portal’s magic flashed across her skin for a brief second before she was out of the low, dusty light inside Persh’al’s warehouse. Cheyenne blinked against the sudden brightness of the early afternoon before a harsh whisper came from behind her.
“Make some room, huh?”
She thought it was Byrd, but it didn’t matter. The halfling took a quick glance around the neighborhood, but at noon on a Sunday, there wasn’t anyone around to see a Goth chick suddenly materialize out of thin air. That part’s luck.
Moving quickly up the walkway toward Mattie’s front porch, Cheyenne almost turned again to double-check that the four O’gúleesh magicals were following her. Can’t hear the goblin’s mouth-breathing this time.
When she made it to the base of the three stairs leading up to the porch, she stopped.
“Can’t back out now, kid,” Corian whispered in her ear.
The tickle of his breath and what felt like a whisker or two almost made her flinch. “I’m not backing out.”
“Just a friendly reminder.”
With a deep breath, the halfling forced herself up the stairs onto the porch and toward the navy-blue front door. Her fist rose, and she paused again. Please just hear them out, Mattie. Then you’ll see why I’m doing this.Even if you don’t end up forgiving me for it later.
Cheyenne knocked three times on the front door and waited. None of the magicals behind her made a sound.
Footsteps grew louder on the other side of the door, then two deadbolts slid back, and the doorknob turned slowly. Mattie opened the door with a curious smile, wondering who could possibly be at her door on a Sunday. That smile widened when she saw Cheyenne Summerlin standing on her front porch, and a small laugh escaped her. “You know, I did tell you I’d email you before tomorrow. No need to hunt me down at my house. Good to see you’re so eager to prepare for your first class, though.”
Cheyenne tried to smile back and couldn’t quite manage it. “I’m not here about an email.”
Brushing a lock of wavy black hair out of her face, Mattie glanced around her front yard. A hint of wary skepticism flashed across her luminous green eyes, and she folded her arms. Then she took a step back into the house and eyed Cheyenne up and down. “You look like you fell into some kinda trouble, kid.” The woman briefly closed her eyes. “Well, you’re already here, and I can’t turn you away. Come on in and tell me all about it, then.”
Swallowing thickly, the halfling stepped into her first mentor’s house. “I, uh, I’m not in trouble.” Cheyenne turned back to glance out the open front door. Time for these guys to show themselves. “Sorry, Mattie.”
“Come on, Cheyenne, I wasn’t born yesterday. Nobody looks over their shoulder like that when they’re perfectly comfortable being where they are. Who’s following you now?” Mattie stepped forward and reached out for the open door, keeping her gaze on her former student.
The door swung away from her open hand and closed on its own. Mattie’s eyes narrowed as Corian’s invisibility spell shimmered around him, and the Nightstalker reappeared with his hand on the doorknob. “Hi, Maleshi.”
Mattie’s green eyes widened. Then Persh’al and the goblins appeared on either side of Corian, and the college professor lifted a finger. “Oh, no. No, no.”
“We just need a minute of your time,” Corian said softly.
“Get the fuck out.” Mattie pointed swiftly at the door, which let off a silver flash before opening again.
Corian pressed firmly on the door until it clicked shut behind him. “Just twenty minutes, Maleshi. Please. Give us that much, and then we’ll leave.”
“I don’t want to give you anything.” Mattie’s green gaze darted from Corian to Persh’al and she shook her head. “Especially not when you coerced Cheyenne into this. I’m not playing your games, vae shra’ni.”
“No games.” Corian spread his arms. “And I’m sorry to have to surprise you like this. You’ve made it very hard to find you.”
“That was the point, Corian.” Mattie’s jaw clenched and unclenched as she pressed her lips together. “I came out here to start over, and I’ve spent way too long on building a life to throw it
