When she stepped back into the fancy dining room of the Wildhaven, she caught a fleeting glimpse of Persh’al’s blue head and fallen orange mohawk before the giant winged thing blocking her flew through the front door. The windows lining the front wall were useless for seeing through. They’re probably not even glass. Everything in this messed-up city is metal.
She hurried toward the front door and shoved it open, not paying a second thought to the pair of magicals in their party finery who leaped away from her, hissing and sneering until they realized she was a drow. Then they shut up and averted their gazes while she stormed out into the bright, glistening plaza of District 5. The halfling turned and scanned the brilliantly shining buildings. Come on, Persh’al. I’m out of my element here.
When she’d almost turned a full circle with no sign of her troll guide, a green light flashed in an alley three buildings down. Her activator-enhanced vision lit up with a bright-yellow circle at the same alley, which flashed again. Gritting her teeth, Cheyenne took off past the rows of bars and meticulously clean storefronts. Every magical who saw her heading their way moved aside to let the drow pass, and none of them looked her in the eye.
These guys make everyone in Peridosh look like bold warriors. Or maybe just incredibly stupid.
She had two more yards to go until the flashing yellow light in her vision and the alley met each other. Then a hand stuck out of the alley, making her flinch until she realized Persh’al was the only magical she’d seen with blue hands like that. She picked up the pace and slipped into the alley just as Persh’al withdrew his hand.
“Don’t ever leave me stranded like that again.” She shoved his bulging pack against his chest, cutting off his low chuckle as the force of her swing slammed him back against the metal wall. “And what the hell was that back there, huh?”
“I told you I was a great conversationalist.” Persh’al caught his breath and fumbled with his pack before slinging it over his shoulders again with a grunt. “And you did fine back there, kid. Talked your way outta something else, from the looks of it.”
“Yeah, well, I have experience with people expecting me to talk down to them.” Cheyenne looked slowly up from the chuckling troll and met the burning-red gaze of the winged magical who’d whisked Persh’al out of the club faster than she could follow. “That’s a literal thing for you, though.”
The magical loomed at least seven feet over her, her dark-gray face framed by a mane of red hair punctured by two curling black horns sprouting from her temples. Her wings hugged her back tightly as she folded her arms and raised a thin eyebrow at the drow halfling. Then her black lips curled in a smile. “You get used to it.”
“Yeah, I bet.”
“Oh. Yeah. Cheyenne, Nu’ek. Nu’ek, Cheyenne. Introductions aren’t really my thing.
“Well, we don’t have time for them anyway.” Nu’ek glanced into the dazzling plaza and frowned. “Let’s go.”
Cheyenne pointed after her as Nu’ek turned and headed down an alley almost too narrow for her broad shoulders. “She’s your friend.”
“Yep. Always add a little truth to your lies, kid. That’s what makes ‘em good.” He took off after his giant friend, whose clawed feet clacked on the ground with every trembling step.
The halfling shot another glance at the mouth of the alley and hurried after them. “Apparently, you can only lie to complete strangers.”
“I’ll take my win where I can get it. I just wish the scary golra had waited another fifteen seconds. I was this close to snatching that vial out of that orc’s fat fingers.”
Nu’ek tossed a hand in the air, flashing the patch of red fur on the back of it. “You didn’t want that poison, Persh’al, trust me.”
“Oh yes, I did.”
The golra disappeared around another corner, forcing Persh’al and Cheyenne to pick up the pace. “I never pegged you as a goldsmile-head. Does your master know you’ve got a nose for it?”
Cheyenne looked at the troll with wide eyes. “Your master?”
“He’s not my master. And no, he doesn’t know because there’s nothing to know. Honestly, you giant, hairy mountain, I’m a little insulted that you’d even think that’s why I wanted it.”
Nu’ek stopped at the end of the next alley, placed her huge gray hand against the wall, and turned to look down at him. “Then what did you want with it?”
“Well, I wanted to know what the hell it was since nobody’s talking. Like at all.” Persh’al rubbed his head. “But now that I know it’s goldsmile, it’s a moot point. Have any ideas why bouncers at an Uppertech club are handing the stuff out like Jell-O shots?”
“Like what?” The wall flashed beneath Nu’ek’s hand, and thin panels of metal ejected and folded in on each other, opening into a doorway with plenty of room for the large golra to pass.
“Never mind.” Persh’al shook his head. “I’m stuck in centuries of Earthside gabble.”
“There’s a reason nobody’s talking up here.” Nu’ek glanced up the wall, scanning it for something, then stepped through the open doorway. “So you should stop until we get to where we’re going. Then you can run your mouth all night if you have to.”
Persh’al sniggered. “I missed you.”
The golra grunted. “Sure.”
Cheyenne and Persh’al walked through the doorway side by side, staying a good six feet behind Nu’ek as she stomped ahead. The scrolling analysis lines in her vision were few and far between now, even when she turned up the activator. “Do you know where we’re going?”
“Not really.” He nodded at Nu’ek’s back. “But she does. Right now, that’s good enough for me.”
“I see you haven’t raised your personal expectations since you made your great escape.” The golra’s low voice echoed around them, then she stepped into an alcove off the tunnel and waited for them to join her.
“If I had any expectations coming into this,
