The living room fell silent, and Ember cocked her head. “You lost me on that last one.”
“What?” Cheyenne sat up enough to still spread out in the recliner and look at her fae friend at the same time. “Oh. Breaking news, Em. The drow puzzle box opened right up. And I found out what my legacy really is.”
“For real?” The fae’s eyes widened over a slow, excited smile. “What was it?”
“A giant, useless coin.”
“Aw, seriously?”
“Yep.”
Ember blinked, then a startled laugh burst out of her. “He really didn’t think that one through. One coin. He had no idea who your mom was when he found her for one night of Cheyenne-making, did he?”
A low chuckle made its way up the halfling’s throat, growing into a laugh until they were both too breathless to say anything.
“Oh, man.” Cheyenne wiped the tears off her cheeks and cranked the recliner all the way back again. “I think the drow insanity is contagious.”
“Nothing insane about a good sense of humor.” Ember chuckled and wiped her eyes. “That can’t be it, though, right? Your legacy being just one coin a crazy thief gave you?” She laughed again.
“Apparently not.” Folding her arms, the halfling stared up at the ceiling again. “I found out this morning that the real legacy, if we’re still calling it that, is on the other side.”
“In Ambar’ogúl?”
“Yep. And I’m the only one who can go get it.”
“No. No way.” Ember shook her head and tried to wheel closer to Cheyenne’s armchair. The chair caught on the edge of the coffee table, and she grunted, backing up and inching forward in an irritated three-point turn before finally pushing herself alongside the extended recliner to loom right above the halfling’s face. “You’re not crossing over because some lunatic who happens to be your father told you that’s what you need to do.”
Cheyenne swallowed. “He’s not the only one who said it, Em.”
“Who the fuck cares what anybody else said? These people have been watching you and waiting for you to break some stupid prophecy all by yourself. They could’ve stepped in at any point in your life to help you, and they didn’t. This sounds like they’re putting you on the front lines because they don’t have the balls to do it themselves.”
“Uh-huh. That’s what I meant. I’m pretty sure that’s all I am to L’zar anyway.”
Ember’s brows drew together as she studied her friend’s apathetic expression. “You’re not going, are you?”
With a deep breath, Cheyenne slowly turned her head toward her friend and met Ember’s gaze. “If there wasn’t all this other stuff going on, no, I wouldn’t go.”
“Jesus. Are you serious?”
“I have to. Whatever dark shit that’s going on over there is seeping out of the portals and making new ones because there isn’t any more room. This world, the only one we know, is just the overflow tank now.”
“And you’re trusting the magicals who left you high and dry to deal with all this by yourself.” Ember’s lips pressed tightly together, then she ripped her gaze away from Cheyenne and pushed herself across the living room. “You’re just gonna take their word for it and make that crossing because they said your legacy is waiting for you on the other side?”
“Not just because of that, no.” Cheyenne looked back at the ceiling, but now the recliner didn’t feel nearly as comfortable. “Nobody’s come right out and said it, but I’m pretty sure they all think that if I can put that stupid coin on the O’gúl altar, I’ll be able to stop what’s starting to happen over here. You know, giant portals ripping out of the ground and causing earthquakes and unleashing monsters that aren’t supposed to exist.”
“Well, halflings weren’t supposed to exist either, Cheyenne. Should we just throw you off a cliff somewhere and dust off our hands?”
Cheyenne snorted. “That would solve a lot of my problems.”
“I’m serious!”
Slowly, the halfling sat up in the recliner, pushing the handle back down so her feet touched the floor. When she raised an eyebrow at her friend, Ember’s face reddened and she couldn’t hold back a nervous laugh.
“I mean, yeah. That would solve your problems. Not anyone else’s.”
“I’m not trying to fix anyone else’s problems, just my own. And I definitely count those things coming out of the portals and the Crown’s thugs bringing war machines Earthside as my problems. I’m not just gonna sit around and let that happen if I can do something about it.”
Ember folded her arms. “I would.”
“Well, it’s a good fucking thing you’re not L’zar’s kid, then. Or we’d all be screwed.”
They stared at each other, then Ember laughed and leaned over her lap, burying her face in her hands. “That was a total lie.” Her voice was muffled through her fingers. “If I could walk, if I could do anything beyond levitating in this stupid wheelchair, I’d come with you.”
Cheyenne bit her lip. “I know, Em. I wouldn’t let you, but I’d appreciate it.”
“If I had real fae magic, halfling, you wouldn’t be able to stop me.”
“You sound really sure about that.”
Ember dropped her hands in her lap before sitting back up again to look at her friend. “You haven’t seen a full-blooded fae in action, have you?”
“Nope. Looking forward to the day, though.”
“This plan is
