“Well, that’s an accurate assessment of yourself, at the very least.” Corian lifted his chin and raised his eyebrows. “But neither of them made a mistake the night they met.”
“Why, because I’m some prophecy child of L’zar’s?” Cheyenne scoffed. “No. I’m just the one he didn’t go after before I passed the trials. It could’ve been anyone else.”
“L’zar Verdys didn’t choose Bianca Summerlin at random, kid,” Maleshi added. “I’d go so far as to say he didn’t choose her at all.”
“That’s exactly my point.” Cheyenne sighed. “I have no idea where either of you is trying to go with this.”
“Sure. Must be pretty frustrating when you can’t see it all laid out in front of you like a line of code or an elegant program.”
The halfling shot Corian a sharp glare.
“I don’t mean that as an insult, kid.” He shrugged. “That’s just the way you are. That’s the way L’zar is too, except he does see it all laid out like that. Don’t get me wrong; that drow can’t do much more than point and click behind a computer, but when it comes to magic and the threads tying it all together, he’s rewriting the entire program. When you live as long as we have, you start to see the patterns, Cheyenne. L’zar found a new one with your mother, but he didn’t choose her.”
Maleshi took a deep breath. “The choice was already made for both of them. He found her simply by following the trail left for him by some universal power. Just like you’ve been following the trail of figuring out what the hell you’re doing and how to keep making your choices.”
“All right.” Cheyenne waved them both off. “I’m not gonna keep picking this apart. Whatever L’zar did, it’s done. We’re looking forward, right?”
Corian chuckled and bent to pick up the edge of the war machine again. “Always have.”
“Uh-huh. I think living as long as you guys have makes you crazy.” The halfling shoved her hands into the pockets of her trench coat and turned toward the lawn on the other side of the Computer Sciences building. “Shit. They’re here.”
“Hmm?” Maleshi walked toward her and leaned sideways until her hair brushed the silvery dome hiding them to peer around the corner. “Do your FRoE friends usually move this quickly?”
“They do when they think it’s important.”
Corian barked out a laugh. “Sounds like they learned their lesson after ignoring you about those kidnapped kids.”
“Smartest move they’ve made so far.” Cheyenne nodded at Maleshi. “I should at least make an appearance and remind them not to screw this one up.”
“Cheyenne and her mastery over the subtle art of negotiation.” The general elbowed Cheyenne gently in the side and snorted. “That’s bound to be a fruitful conversation.”
The half-drow ignored the jest and glanced sidelong at Corian. “This won’t take long, so don’t disappear on me. We’re not finished.”
“No, we aren’t.”
Cheyenne checked for passersby outside the silver dome of Maleshi’s illusion, and when the coast was clear, she stepped through it and headed toward the scar of the portal ridge she’d managed to keep from opening. After this, Matthew Thomas and I need to have another serious conversation. Attacking me is one thing. Showing up at a school crosses a whole new line.
Chapter Seventy-Seven
The team of FRoE agents swarming around the thwarted Border portal on the VCU campus looked like any other natural disaster emergency response unit. Except for Sir. He might as well have a giant target painted on him.
When the FRoE official caught sight of Cheyenne Summerlin in full human form and her new black trench coat, he muttered something to one of his operatives, then stormed toward her. “At the very least, I will give you credit for not running away with your tail between your legs, halfling.”
“No, that would make me look guilty, wouldn’t it?” She stopped and folded her arms to let him come to her.
The man’s thick salt-and-pepper mustache twitched when he realized that, and he grimaced as he closed the distance between them. “I’m still not convinced you didn’t have everything to do with this shitshow on a college campus, and I sure as hell don’t need you hanging around trying to make sure we know what we’re doing. We do.”
“I wouldn’t have told you about this if I didn’t think you’d be able to handle it. And there are plenty of other people I could’ve called.”
He snorted. “Tell me what else you know about this.”
“Nothing.” Cheyenne shook her head and studied the FRoE agents moving gingerly around the giant holes in the ground and inspecting the upturned ridge of earth where she’d closed the portal. “It showed up, and I stopped it before it could get any worse. They put on a pretty good show for anyone else who’s watching.”
“Well, don’t expect a goddam song and dance, halfling. They’re doing their jobs, and right now, that means keeping any curious know-it-alls from thinking this was anything more than an isolated earthquake. Not magic.” Sir looked over his shoulder at the two massive holes in the ground. “What the hell made those things?”
Can’t tell him about the machines, not if the guy who hooked Matthew up with O’gúl loyalists is investing in the FRoE. Cheyenne shrugged. “I don’t know. Those were there when I got out here.”
He gave her a sharp look and raised an eyebrow. “Bullshit. You have eyes, halfling. No way you didn’t see something that big popping up out of the ground.”
“You know what? I was a little busy trying to keep a whole line of jagged black rock with a portal inside it from sprouting up out of the ground.”
“Yeah, yeah. Pat yourself on the back and go get a cookie.”
Cheyenne folded her arms. “So, how are you gonna keep the magic part of this under wraps?”
“That’s none of your
