“He doesn’t seem like the teachable type.”
The nightstalker raised her eyebrows. “He’s not, which is why he should’ve stayed behind bars until we get this other portal business under control.”
“We’re getting there, I think.” Cheyenne studied Maleshi’s shimmering green eyes, which narrowed in interest now. “L’zar’s lying low at the warehouse for now. I think.”
“He better be.”
The halfling chuckled. “Who knows, right? I was there this morning. Apparently, they found the guy who’s been meshing O’gúl and Earth technology, so at the very least, it should keep them all busy.”
“They found him.” Maleshi broke into another grin. “You know, I’m ninety-nine-percent sure L’zar doesn’t give a rat’s ass about that little piece of our puzzle. He’s focused on you. I, on the other hand, would really love to hear what they told you.”
“Not much.” Cheyenne shook her head, trying not to laugh at the crestfallen look eating away the nightstalker’s eagerness. “They had some scaly dude tied to a chair when I showed up. They shoved him in a closet and told me they’d figure out the rest.”
“Well, that’s frustrating.”
“Yeah. So is being dismissed by all the magicals following the crazy drow to their own ends. Whatever they figure out, I’m not sure they’ll tell me.”
“They’ll tell you, Cheyenne.” Maleshi nodded slowly, the cold, hard intensity of General Hi’et returning to her features. “You deserve to know as much as everyone else, if not more. And if they don’t know that by now, you’ll just have to make them tell you.”
Cheyenne leaned away from her old professor and raised an eyebrow. She’s got battle-lust written all over her, even with that illusion spell. “I’m not gonna start interrogating the people who are trying to help me.”
“What?” Maleshi laughed. “Who said anything about interrogating? Just a few good pops with your magic, kid, and they’ll get the message.”
“Jeeze. If you’d talked to me like that when I first starting coming by here for your help, I wouldn’t have come back.”
“Well, it’s a good thing I know how to play my hand, isn’t it?” The nightstalker winked. “Thanks for stopping by to show me that special drow trinket you finally got open, but don’t worry about dropping by on your days off to fill me in. I’m thinking about popping into that warehouse for a little visit.”
“To interrogate the scaly dude?”
“Ha. Wouldn’t that be fun?” Smirking, Maleshi slowly lowered herself into her chair again. “I wouldn’t turn down the offer to be perfectly honest, but I’ve got a prophecy or two to sort out. I’ve come to the realization that I might need a little help with that.”
“You don’t look happy about that part.”
“I’ve been sucked back into a war I left behind me centuries ago, Cheyenne. On purpose. If I don’t look happy about that, it’s because I’m not.”
The halfling narrowed her eyes and looked the nightstalker up and down. “Because you’re going to Corian for help, right?”
Maleshi stared right back at her. “That’s one of the reasons, sure.”
“What happened between you two, anyway?”
“Enough. Nothing that needs to be dug up right now in Mattie Bergman’s office, thank you very much.”
Cheyenne raised her hands in surrender. “I’m just curious.”
“You can be as curious as you wanna be. I’m not strolling down that particular memory lane with you today.”
“No problem.” Cheyenne took another step back and grabbed the straps of her backpack again. I could hold my own in here if I pushed too far. Wrong place and wrong time, though. “Can you at least tell me what you found out about that weird-ass prophecy you bought from Gúrdu?”
Maleshi’s eyes narrowed even more, then she laughed. “Yeah, you’re just curious.”
“I can’t help it.” The halfling chuckled. “It was creepy.”
“Yes, it was.” Taking a deep breath, the general-turned-professor sat back in her chair again. “I’ve figured out most of it on my own. That prophecy was talking about the new portals in a roundabout way. I’m pretty sure the Crown’s involved, but not intentionally. She sent those shipments through the new portal we found, but my bet is, that was a happy coincidence. She found it and used it.”
“Well, it’s been there for a while.”
Maleshi frowned. “What makes you say that?”
Shit. I can’t make promises to keep secrets and let something like that slip. “Heard mention of it somewhere.”
“Uh-huh. Well, however long it’s been there doesn’t matter if we’ve got new ones popping up in reclusive socialites’ backyards, does it?” Maleshi leaned sideways into the armrest of her chair. “At a basic level, it looks like the Crown’s spreading madness is running out of space in Ambar’ogúl and starting to seep through Earthside. I don’t think the Crown knows how directly the two are connected. Not yet, anyway.”
“If she does, she doesn’t care.”
“Hmm.” Maleshi gave the halfling a tight-lipped smile. “You’re starting to talk like an O’gúleesh who’s seen what’s happening on the other side.”
Cheyenne spread her arms. “Camouflage.”
“Very funny.”
“What about the rest of the prophecy?”
“What about it?”
Cocking her head, Cheyenne twirled a hand in the air. “That part about cutting out the heart and the rot. Destiny or chains. ‘Blood binds to blood’ was in there too, and I’ve heard that part before.”
“You don’t let too much slip through your head, do you?”
The halfling smiled. “I have a pretty decent memory. I’m choosing to credit my mom for that one.”
With a snort, the nightstalker nodded. “That’s a little deeper than I can go.”
“But you think you know what it means, don’t you?”
“Maybe. That’s why I need an extra nightstalker brain to help me figure it out.”
Cheyenne frowned. “I might be able to help. Before I had that pendant, I was getting a lot of crazy dreams with all kinds of prophecy pieces screamed at me.”
“Which I noticed you aren’t wearing anymore.”
“It stopped working, mostly. And you’re changing the subject.”
“I’m entitled to change the subjects I don’t want to talk about.” Maleshi leaned forward with a
