“Yeah, when I had you to pick me up and stick me in that thing. If I had my magic back, I wouldn’t need you or this stupid machine.”
The halfling stuck her hands in her pockets and raised an eyebrow. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the O’gúl bed.
Ember stopped glaring at the glittering black machine long enough to flick her gaze at the half-drow. “Sorry. I think I’m still half-asleep.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Right on cue, another crash and round of boisterous laughter rose from the courtyard outside the balcony. Immediately after that came the thump and slap of flesh hitting flesh.
Cheyenne closed her eyes. “Whoever those idiots are out there, they’re gonna wake up the entire city with that crap.”
“Yeah.” Ember ran a pink-tinted hand through her violet-streaked brown hair and reached for the crawler, but drew her hands away again, thumped her thighs, and shot her friend an exasperated glance. “I think I made this thing freak out when I tried to climb in. Feel like lifting a fae into a machine this early in the morning?”
The halfling smiled. “If that’s what the fae needs, sure.”
Ember gave her friend a thin smile and reached out to wrap her arms around Cheyenne’s neck. The halfling scooped her up and set her in the depressed seat in the middle of the crawler’s main body. The fae grabbed each of her thighs in turn to shift them around more comfortably in her seat. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Cheyenne stepped away from her friend and stared at the mottled dark-gray splotches with barely visible black lines snaking across Ember’s forearm. “Shit, Em. Your arm.”
“What, this?” Ember lifted her forearm with wide eyes, then rubbed it with her other hand and shook her head. “I’m fine.”
“That looks a hell of a lot like the blight on those skaxens.”
“I didn’t catch the blight from Cazerel if that’s what you’re wondering.” Ember’s head wobbled in indecision as she looked back down at her arm. “It’s like, you know how when you throw a rock into a pond, and the water keeps moving and rippling for a long time after the rock’s at the bottom?”
The halfling snorted and folded her arms. “That’s not a rock, Em. That’s a mutating magical plague eating this entire world and spilling across the Border. And you’re not a pond.”
“Cheyenne, you’re making way too big of a deal out of this.”
“So far, you’re the only person who can heal this thing in magicals, and now your magic has taken a back seat for however long.”
“Trust me, it was a lot worse than this last night. Kept me up for hours.”
“Seriously?” Cheyenne stepped toward the so-far-motionless crawler, frowning at the dark splotches on her friend’s pink skin. Ember didn’t even try to hide them. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because it got better.” Ember shrugged. “And there’s nothing you could’ve done about it, right? If I am the only one who can heal this crap.”
The room was silent after that. Ember might have had a chance at setting a record for a staring contest with the drow halfling, but a small cough escaped her and grew quickly into a full-blown fit.
“Jesus, Em.”
“I said I’m fine.” Ember lifted a hand to stop Cheyenne from coming any closer. “Seriously. I’m fairly sure last night was the worst of it.”
When the fae girl seemed to have her breathing back under control, Cheyenne nodded. “Okay. But I need you to promise me that if those black lines get worse again or show up in different places, you’ll tell me.”
“Sure.”
“Hey, I’m serious. I don’t know about you, but I sure as hell didn’t expect you to have to heal a raug chief from the blight and lose your magic in the process. That wasn’t part of the plan when we came here.”
“I didn’t lose my magic.” Ember raised an eyebrow. “It’s not working the right way. No spells yet, and I’m still a half-assed noob with this activator.”
Cheyenne laughed wryly. “Right.”
“I still look like a full-blooded fae, so I know my magic isn’t gone.”
“Obviously. I’m saying we can’t screw around on this side.” Ember opened her mouth to argue and Cheyenne stepped back, raising both hands in concession. “Hey, I know. That probably makes me a hypocrite. I’ve ignored way more injuries than I probably should have at the time because I figured I’d be fine, but things are getting serious over here. And seriously weird. I learned my lesson about sitting back and letting things play out when it comes to you, Em. Not gonna do that again.”
Ember slowly folded her arms, and her chin dipped almost to her chest as she studied her gray-blotted forearms. Then she looked up at Cheyenne again without moving her head. “Even Foltr said this is temporary.”
“Still.” Cheyenne shrugged. “We have no idea how long ‘temporary’ will last, and I don’t like the odds.”
“You don’t even know what they are.”
“Exactly.” Cheyenne nodded curtly, trying not to look too freaked out, only the right amount. Last time I didn’t pay attention to the consequences, Ember got shot. Wasn’t that long ago, either. “I’m trying not to make the same mistakes, Em. Especially with you.”
“Yeah, I get it. Thanks.” Blinking quickly, Ember glanced down at the control panel on the crawler and lifted her hand to attempt another command, then paused. “You can play drow bodyguard, Cheyenne, but the last thing I want is—”
Someone roared in anger down in the courtyard as another heavy something caused what sounded like an entire stone wall to topple over. The magicals who’d been laughing and egging on the good-natured brawling outside now growled and snarled. Muted red light flashed in the main room of Cheyenne and Ember’s shared quarters and the doorway of Ember’s room.
The halfling rolled her eyes. “Sounds like somebody doesn’t know when to hold back.”
“That’s what woke me up.” Ember glared through the doorway. “Seriously, if they don’t cut it out, I
