She glanced at her phone again and thought about the first new portal ridge and all the O’gúl loyalists trying to smuggle in weapons of magical mass destruction. “I guess that’s what I’m doing anyway.”
After logging out of the Borderlands forum, she dipped into the Y2Kickass server just to check. No new messages from Todd or the master-hacker-wannabe who’d decrypted Corian’s stupid map for her in record time. Cheyenne smirked. I’d know who to ask for help if we needed more of that for these O’gúl war machines using human tech. But if I can’t read Persh’al’s code, Mini-Me sure as hell can’t either.
Below her, the credits rolled at the end of Ember’s show. The fae girl ran a hand through her hair and glanced up at the mini-loft. “You hungry?”
“Got your appetite back, huh?”
“Well, you know, wheeling into the kitchen is pretty much all the exercise I’m gonna get today.”
Cheyenne chuckled. “Yeah, I could eat.”
Ember clicked the remote in her hand, and the TV sank back down into its hidden slot in the entry table beside the door. Then she tossed the remote on the coffee table and pushed back to head to the kitchen. “I’m really glad you didn’t inherit your mom’s culinary tastes. I mean, our kitchen’s not as big, but no way in hell am I cooking for you like Eleanor does.”
The halfling practically skipped down the metal stairs, the chains on her wrists clinking as her hand squeaked on the iron railing. “I’d have to pay you for that.”
Chapter Eleven
“So wait.” Ember grabbed both empty containers from the frozen dinners they’d turned into a late lunch and set them in her lap. “You went in to get interrogated by the FRoE, and that asshole without a name is the one who got in trouble?”
She wheeled herself across the kitchen and tossed the containers in the trash as Cheyenne took their forks to the dishwasher. “Yep. I was mostly telling the truth, too. At least, I didn’t have to straight-out lie about anything.”
Ember hissed out a disbelieving laugh. “That guy really hates you.”
“Oh, yeah. I’m not his biggest fan, either.”
“How did you get away with not telling them where L’zar is?”
Cheyenne shrugged. “Probably because I honestly believe he could be anywhere. He might still be at the warehouse. Or he could be running around DC in broad daylight, sending cars off the road and giving people heart attacks. Something tells me that’s more his style.”
“Jeeze.”
The halfling turned and grinned. “But that drow’s not my responsibility. It was his choice to break out of prison and apparently mess up whatever he’s been planning with Corian and the others. They’re the ones dedicating their long-ass lives to this guy. I’m just his kid.”
Ember barked out a laugh. “That normally wouldn’t mean much, but I think the circumstances change that a little, don’t they?”
“Nope.” The halfling leaned against the wide marble island and folded her arms. “I’ve got more than enough to worry about without trying to keep tabs on L’zar Verdys and whatever crap he gets himself into. Maleshi called him one of the greatest O’gúl thieves with his head still on his shoulders. If that’s true, it means he’s good enough at whatever he does not to get caught.”
“Cheyenne, I don’t know if you realize this, but a person has to get caught first before breaking out of prison.”
Cheyenne shot her friend an exasperated glance before a small laugh slipped out. “I meant, he doesn’t get caught unless he wants to. What I don’t get is what he was planning on doing for the last twenty-five years of his sentence that didn’t really mean anything. Wait to be released so he could meet me for the first time when I’m forty-six?”
“Maybe he was always planning to break out early.”
“Yeah, I thought about that.” The halfling glanced around their massive kitchen. “But Corian and Maleshi seemed really surprised and a little pissed-off when I told them the drow let himself out of the prison-bag.”
“It’s still weird to hear you call her that.”
“I know, right? I almost called her that to her face when I stopped by her office earlier. And yeah, she went back to work.” Ember shook her head, and Cheyenne shrugged. “But I think you’re right about the breakout plan. My guess is, it’s a mix of both. Like they were already supposed to have something in motion before L’zar left Chateau D’rahl, and he was too wrapped up in his victory to wait any longer for whatever plan to unfold.”
“His victory?”
“I’m convinced that’s what he thinks this is. I passed the drow trials, I obliterated that thing at my mom’s house, and apparently, I unraveled a centuries-old prophecy about L’zar Verdys’ kids never living long enough to see what any of that’s like. And yeah, he looked awfully proud of himself.”
Ember frowned and wheeled herself into their sweeping living room, glancing out the long wall of windows at their view over north Richmond. “The only things he can take credit for is seducing your mom and staying behind bars for so long.”
“Yeah, well, good luck telling him that.” The halfling joined her friend in the living room and flopped into one of their new black leather recliners. “I think me being frenemies with the FRoE and all these new Border portals popping up put a wrench in everyone’s plans. Kinda hard to cover all the bases centuries in advance, though.”
With a snort, the fae stopped between the coffee table and the occupied recliner and folded her arms. “A lot can happen in a few centuries.”
“True. Feels like it’s all happening right now, though.”
“Screw him.” Ember shrugged. “He let you spend twenty-one years trying to figure all this shit out on your own. The guy deserves massive wrenches in his plans.”
“Thank you.” The halfling yanked up the handle on the side of the recliner until the footrest came all the way up and she was lying as close to horizontal as
