“I’ll meet you down there,” Eleanor said as she headed down the wide, sweeping staircase to the main floor.
“Thanks, Eleanor.”
The woman waved her off with a noncommittal hum, then Cheyenne stopped outside her room and darted inside to grab the legacy box. She took a quick look at the unmade bed, tucked the box under her arm, and made the bed in less than thirty seconds with a quick shake of the comforter and a re-propping of pillows. When she returned to the open hallway of the second floor, Ember shot her a small, knowing smile.
“What?” Cheyenne shrugged. “It was bred into me, all right?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to.” The halfling grabbed the box from under her arm and dropped it in her friend’s lap. “Will you hold onto that for me? I need my hands.”
Ember stared at the Cuil Aní as Cheyenne wheeled her toward the Chez Summerlin elevator. “This looks different.”
“That’s because it is.”
“Did you?”
“Yep. Apparently, this halfling’s all grown up and ready to claim her legacy, whatever that means.” Cheyenne pushed the single call button on the wall beside the elevator. “As soon as we’re home, I’m heading off with Corian to open this thing and figure out what the heck that legacy is.”
The door opened slowly, and the halfling wheeled her friend inside before punching the button to take them down.
“You should open it now.”
“I really shouldn’t.” Cheyenne snorted. “Whatever’s in there was meant just for me. Obviously. There’s already been enough craziness in this house for one visit, and if that box starts up its weird light show and who knows what else, I don’t want you, Eleanor, or my mom anywhere near it.”
Ember removed her hands from the box and raised them in front of her chest.
“Relax. I’m pretty sure it won’t do anything until I open it.”
“Yeah, that’s reassuring.”
The elevator shuddered a little when it reached the ground floor, then Cheyenne pulled Ember out and into the industrial-sized kitchen. Eleanor stood at the stove over a boiling kettle of water and gave the girls a brief, distracted smile over her shoulder. “I’ll be right there. Just making the tea.”
“No problem. We’re not out of here just yet.” Cheyenne took them along the side of the kitchen and out the swinging doors into the open hall that ran down the side of the house. “Okay. You got it from here?”
“Still working on super-tight spaces.” Ember grabbed the wheels of her chair and nodded. “There aren’t a lot of those here.”
“Good. I’ll be right back.” Heading toward the front door, Cheyenne turned back and pointed at her friend’s lap. “Don’t lose that box. Kind of important.”
Ember’s eyes widened, and she stared at the drow legacy box in her lap as the halfling slipped out and closed the door swiftly behind her.
* * *
Cheyenne stopped for a moment to take a deep breath of the fresh morning air, then shook her head. It’s too early for a heaping helping of FRoE attitude.
She jogged down the wide, curved stone steps at the entrance to the house, then headed around the garden and down the other set of stairs toward the backyard. When she stalked out from beneath the jutting balcony of the veranda, she could feel her mom’s gaze shifting to fall on her. Cheyenne didn’t turn around or look up. Give her enough time, and she’ll get over it—as long as these guys do their job and keep her safe.
Rhynehart and his team were up and ready for duty, though some of them still sat in the grass, nursing their tin cups of instant coffee. The portable camping stove or whatever they’d used had been put away already. Wouldn’t put it past one of these guys to light up a ball of fire in their hand and use that instead.
“How’s it going out here?”
Rhynehart turned from glaring at the currently inactive portal ridge to glaring at her. “Good morning to you too.”
“It’s not, really. I just want to make sure it’s not about to get any worse.”
He gestured toward the black columns of jagged, glistening black stone that cut a straight line from the little FRoE camp to the forest. “Kind of impossible, don’t you think?”
“As long as you and your guys keep back whatever else might come through this thing so it doesn’t get to the house or my mom, I’ll count that as not getting worse.”
“Well, you can make your report, then, halfling.” Rhynehart raised an eyebrow. “This thing’s been as silent as the grave since we got here.”
Cheyenne looked up at the top of the stone pillars. “No flashing lights?”
“Nope.”
“Okay. That doesn’t mean it won’t still happen.”
“Kid, I know what a portal is, at least the kind I’m used to regulating on the reservations. What I don’t know is how the hell this thing got here.”
The halfling shook her head. “I really wish I had an answer for you.”
Rhynehart turned again to study her longer than two seconds. His scowl remained, but his irritated glare had softened into understanding. “We’ll hold out here until we get the order to pack up and ship out. I have a feeling that won’t be for a while.”
“Yeah, me too.” Cheyenne studied the portal ridge one more time, then met the man’s gaze and nodded. “Thanks for being here.”
“It’s my job. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be.”
“Right. I know.” She nodded at the agents scattered behind their team leader. Some of them looked up to meet her gaze with a brief nod. Most of them minded their own damn business. “Call me if anything changes. And I know you have my personal number, so don’t bother asking about that dinosaur phone you guys gave me.”
Rhynehart smirked. “If
