“Yeah, I know. Hi.”
“Hey. I’m calling because Dr. Boseley saw the note in her schedule today that you canceled your appointment. She wanted me to reach out and make sure everything’s okay.”
“Oh. Yeah, I’m fine. Just had a few things come up. Can’t make it in.”
“Everything’s all right with Cheyenne too?”
Ember clenched her eyes shut and tried not to laugh. Cheyenne snorted. “She’s fine. Just a little busy with some stuff if you know what I mean.”
“Absolutely. Listen, if there’s anything Dr. Boseley and I can do to help, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here.”
“You’re not just talking about PT, are you?”
Marsil laughed. “Correct. I mean that in the broader sense of ‘stuff.’ If you know what I mean.”
Ember chuckled. “Sure do. We’re good for now, but thanks for the offer.”
“You bet. See you Monday, then.”
“Okay.” She hung up the phone, frowned, and tossed it on the coffee table. “So that was Marsil.”
“Yeah, I know.” Cheyenne smiled crookedly at the TV as she flipped through the movies. “I heard the conversation.”
“Of course you did.” Ember shook her head and dug into her yogurt again. “It’s a little weird that I’m getting calls from my physical therapist’s assistant about you.”
“Only as weird as it was for them to be invited to that ceremony yesterday.” Cheyenne shrugged. “Or as weird as anything else happening right now.”
“You don’t have a problem with that weird overlap into our personal lives?”
“Not really. Marsil and I are cool. The more friends we have over here, the better, right?”
“Huh.” Ember narrowed her eyes. “You’re sounding like a different halfling these days, you know that?”
“Why? Because I’m cool with a goblin named Marsil who calls himself George?”
“Okay, admittedly, that’s a little surprising, but mostly it’s that you don’t seem to automatically hate everyone anymore.” Ember laughed. “I mean, you just said having more friends is better.”
Cheyenne rolled her eyes. “Yeah, well, I’m not trying to form a posse or anything. L’zar took care of that on his own. I don’t know, maybe I’m just evolving.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“And I’m not a big fan of going deep into my psychological maturity right now. I’m trying to pick a movie.”
“Uh-huh.” Ember stared at the screen and whispered, “The friendly Goth Drow.”
“Shut up.”
Chapter Eighty
By 6:30 p.m., Cheyenne had had enough. “Why won’t he give me a straight answer? Yes or no. How hard is that?”
Ember finished the last of the premade chicken casserole they’d had for dinner and set her plate on the coffee table. “Maybe ‘cause you’ve been texting him nonstop for the last four hours.”
“It hasn’t been four hours.” Cheyenne scrolled back through her texts to Persh’al and wrinkled her nose. “Okay, so I lost track of time.”
“You’re not making things any easier by annoying the crap out of him.”
“I’m the one annoying him?” The halfling snorted. “I don’t think so. If he’d quit giving me half-assed answers that don’t tell me anything, I’d stop asking.”
Her phone buzzed with a new text, and she opened it immediately.
‘We’re handling it. Positive results. I’m trying to work, so leave me alone.’
“What’s it say?”
Cheyenne tossed her phone into her lap and thumped her head back on the cushion of the fully extended recliner. “That he thinks he’s better than me ‘cause he has a warehouse in DC and knows how to track magical frequencies.”
Ember barked out a laugh. “That was not what he said.”
“You don’t know.”
“Okay. Give me your phone.”
“What? No. I need it.”
Holding out her hand, Ember waved for the halfling to cough it up. “Not right now. If it rings, you’ll hear it, but you need to get your head out of Persh’al’s ass and try to think about something else.”
Cheyenne blinked at her. “Did you just tell me to—”
“Yep. Come on.”
“No.”
“Cheyenne, give me the damn phone. ‘Cause I’m tired of you texting him all the time.”
The halfling laughed and shook her head. “Thanks, Mom, but if I want to annoy the troll, that’s my choice.”
Ember rolled her eyes and pointed at the cell phone. It lit up with violet light and darted into her outstretched hand.
“Whoa, hey! Not cool.”
“Agreed.”
“Ember.”
The fae girl slipped the phone between her knees and pointed at it. “See? I’m not gonna go through your stuff.”
“Oh, yeah. That was my main concern, that you might find something I didn’t want you to see.”
“Whatever. It’s here. You need to quit obsessing.”
Cheyenne stared at her phone, her lower jaw working. “You realize I have magic too, right?”
“Yep. Which you haven’t even tried to use, so I’m thinking you wanted someone to take your phone. It’s okay, you don’t have to thank me. Being your best friend is a full-time job.”
Closing her eyes, Cheyenne snorted a laugh. “I don’t have anything to say to that.”
“You’re welcome.”
The halfling tried to pay attention to their third movie in a row but couldn’t get into it. “I don’t get how so many people can spend all day watching stuff like this. Don’t you get bored?”
“Nope.” Ember snapped her fingers. “I’d love some popcorn, though.”
“You put popcorn on the grocery list?”
“Duh. Only a giant family-size bag, but it’s popcorn, and it gets rid of all the work involved in popping it myself.”
“Yes. Sticking a bag in a microwave is such a complicated process. It takes real skill.”
Ember tilted her head and gave her friend an exasperated glance. “It’s not as cool as this.” She raised her finger, and a purple light flashed in the kitchen. The cabinet door opened with a bang, and a giant resealable bag of popcorn sailed across the apartment to drop onto the couch beside her. Ember glanced down at the bag and shrugged. “Okay, I was going for my hand, but the couch is close enough.”
“You’re getting creative.”
The bag rustled and squealed as Ember pulled it open before shoving her hand inside. “By necessity, halfling. Why push myself all the way into the kitchen when I can use magic to bring the snacks to me?”
“I don’t have an answer for
