“Neros.” L’zar stepped into his nephew’s path, cutting the pale drow off from reaching Cheyenne. “If you’ve seen enough about me in the Weave, nephew, you’ll know I don’t beg. This is as close as I’m ever going to get.”
The pale drow’s pale eyes slid slowly from Cheyenne’s face to her father’s. “No, it is not.”
L’zar swallowed. “Come with us. Everything we need lies within you.” The drow thief’s mask of composure fractured when he extended his hand, his face contorting like he was about to be physically sick when he added, “Please.”
“No.”
That one word made L’zar’s entire body tremble as if it were a spell instead of a refusal.
“You have to come with us,” the drow thief snarled. “It’s your duty. Four hundred years in Nor’ieth is enough for you to have seen that.”
“L’zar, he’s not coming.” Cheyenne stepped toward them, forcing herself not to stare at the sparking purple light bursting from her father’s fingers. He’s gonna lose it, and then we’ll all be in deep shit. “We both asked, and he still said no.”
“I don’t care.” Snarling, L’zar lunged toward his nephew and grabbed Neros roughly by the shoulder. “If you can’t see it, I’ll make you see!”
“Hey, cut it out!” Cheyenne tried to wrench her father’s hand off Neros’ shoulder, and he spun toward her with a crazed hiss. “We didn’t come here to kidnap anyone, L’zar. You can’t take him against his will.”
The drow thief’s eyes flashed golden as he snarled at her and jerked Neros forward. “Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, Cheyenne. I’m the only—”
Neros’ hand moved too quickly for anyone to see, despite the rest of him standing perfectly still. He slapped L’zar’s firm grip off his shoulder, and the drow thief stumbled sideways under the force of it. As her father stared in disbelief at his hand, Cheyenne backed away. Staying out of this one.
“That’s how you want to do this?” L’zar whirled toward his nephew and grinned. “Fine.”
Corian stepped forward and stopped. “L’zar, don’t.”
The drow thief ignored the warning as his hand shot toward Neros’ face. Neros stepped swiftly aside to avoid the blow and stared at L’zar impassively.
“I will have what I want,” L’zar roared. “Even if I have to take it!”
“Stop!” Cheyenne’s shout went unheard beneath the crackle of black sparks bursting from L’zar’s hand.
Neros flicked his hand aside and sent L’zar’s attack sailing up and over the stone ridge beside them.
L’zar snarled and let off another attack. His nephew stepped calmly out of the way and again deflected the burst of magic. It raced into the sky instead and disappeared with a pop. Again and again, the drow thief attacked his nephew, launching spells and blows in a blur of dark-gray. Neros moved fluidly and avoided every burst of magic, stepping calmly away and lifting his arms only to block L’zar’s speedy movement over and over.
Maleshi cleared her throat and looked at Corian. “Should we do something about this?”
He shook his head. “I’m not getting involved in that.”
L’zar snarled and fought like a starving, rabid animal but didn’t once hit his target. Spit flew from his lips as black and purple drow magic flew from his hands, filling the sky with dark light.
Then Neros took one step forward and a flash of brilliant white shot from his hand. He struck L’zar in the shoulder and sent his mad uncle flying back across the grass.
The drow thief hissed and skidded to a stop on his side a foot away from Cazerel’s warriors. A dark stain of blood grew quickly on his shoulder.
“Jesus.” Cheyenne stepped toward him, but Corian’s fingers around her upper arm made her stop.
“Just let it play out, kid.”
“They’re gonna end up killing each other.”
“Just wait.”
Cheyenne gritted her teeth and stared at her father, still lying on the ground. I’m trying to help him. None of this turned out the way we thought.
L’zar clamped his other hand on the wound, breathing heavily and glaring at his nephew. He grimaced and tightened his grip, then a soft golden light bloomed beneath his trembling hand. The blood on his palm and staining his shirt didn’t fizzle into the air the way Neros’ had, but the bleeding stopped when the golden glow on his shoulder faded.
He wrenched his clenched fist away from the healed wound and closed his eyes with a sigh, then looked at his nephew and grinned. “Okay.”
“What?” Cheyenne glanced between them.
“That settles it, then.” L’zar pushed to his feet. “You’ve shown me what I need to see, Neros. You’ll live out your abnormally long life doing absolutely nothing, and we’ll stay out of it.”
Ember patted her cheek. “Did I miss something?”
Cheyenne turned toward Corian and Maleshi, but the nightstalkers looked as surprised as she was. Was all that an act?
L’zar strolled casually toward them and nodded. “We can go now.”
“What are you doing?” Corian muttered.
“Getting my answer, vae shra’ni. And now I have it.”
The nightstalker frowned at the drow thief.
Neros headed for Cheyenne, staring at her with pale, unblinking eyes. “Which of these magicals journeyed into Nor’ieth with you from the other side, cousin?”
She blinked quickly and tried to wrap her head around what had happened. “Right. Everyone but the raugs.”
“I see.” Neros darted forward in a white blur and pulled Cheyenne into his arms for a weirdly tight hug.
“Whoa, whoa.” She struggled but couldn’t get him to let go. “Hey, we talked about personal space.”
“Do not be afraid of what makes you different, Cheyenne,” he whispered fiercely in her ear, then took a long, deep sniff. A warm buzz of intense magic flowed into her and settled like a blaze in her core. She froze. “That is the only thing that will change the way all this plays out.”
“What?”
Neros released her and stepped back, looking her over again. Then he spread his arms and closed his eyes.
The ground trembled. Pale
