“Yeah.” Cheyenne stepped into the wide stone street in the blue-gray light before dawn. “I’m a freak that way, I guess.”
“That’s one way to put it, I guess.” The girls oriented themselves toward the massive rise of Hirúl Breach’s front gates stretching high above the rest of the city. “Or we could go with the undeniable truth that you’re L’zar Verdys’ daughter. He’s a freak with ‘reading the threads,’ which I still don’t get. You’re a freak with reading lines of code and smashing it all together to do exactly what you want. Forget what being a whatever-you-are means in either world, Cheyenne. The freak part’s in your blood.”
With a wry chuckle, Cheyenne cocked her head in acknowledgment. Still have to skirt around calling me as a halfling over here. A bunch of raugs hiding out from the capital are even more likely than most to tear me apart if they knew. At least for now.
Already, the almost-techless haven’s raug citizens were moving slowly about the streets, groggily shaking their heads and shuffling across the stone to get to whatever duties their day required. A select few, those coming from the same direction as the halfling and her fae friend, cast Cheyenne wary, disapproving glances.
She stared right back at those who didn’t immediately look away in aggravation. I’m not the one who started that fight and woke up half the city, but something tells me they don’t give a shit.
They had to climb another set of stairs leading to the upper-level walkway inside the gates, which were slowly opening with a trembling groan and the creak and click of metal and stone gears moving against each other in the gate towers on either side. Cheyenne quickly scanned her side of the gate towers, but even with the activator, all she saw was stone and metal and a flicker of movement from the raug guards inside. They are as low-tech as it gets here. Manual gates and everything.
The rest of their party had already gathered in front of the gates. Lumil caught Cheyenne’s gaze and jerked her chin in greeting. “We were starting to wonder if you guys were even coming.”
“Who’s ‘we?’” Byrd folded his arms and cast the goblin woman a disapproving look. “I knew they were coming.”
“Oh, yeah. ‘Cause you’re always right.”
“I didn’t say that. I’m tellin’ you to speak for yourself, man. You can’t read my mind.”
Lumil slapped a green hand against her forehead, making her hair flutter around her face. “Because there’s nothing in there. I don’t have to read your mind to know that.”
Cheyenne ignored the goblins’ bickering, trying not to laugh when Corian raised an eyebrow at the green-skinned magicals and stepped away from them.
Cazerel straightened from stooping over one of the two black metal machines piled high with supplies, which were covered by thick canvas tarps stretched taut and hooked to iron loops on the machines’ sides. His orange eyes widened when he saw Ember and Cheyenne approach, and he spread his arms. “Healer! Now we can depart.”
“Looks like you already started,” Ember muttered as the gates stopped halfway open with a groan.
“It is a process.” The raug chief chuckled and thumped a fist against his muscular chest before gesturing toward the canyon beyond the gates. “I would not dream of leaving without you. Darkness descends on the fool who abandons his greatest gift.”
Ember and Cheyenne looked at each other in confusion. “Great. He thinks I’m a gift.”
“I think he’s talking about your healing skills, Em.”
“Those have been lost. What is left?”
“Come.” Cazerel nodded at the raug warriors awaiting his orders to move out. Then he glanced at L’zar, sitting two feet from where the gates rested when they were fully closed. The chief’s hairless brow furrowed, and his black tongue flickered over his razor-sharp teeth. “Before I change my mind.”
The warriors beside the supply machines swiped across the panels on the front of each contraption. The machines shuddered and wobbled as they lifted from the ground on only four legs, then the procession headed after Cazerel.
“Travel beside me for a time, Healer.” The chief waved Ember toward him and grinned, his yellowed teeth flashing in the first light of sunrise. “That would please me.”
“Great.” Ember shot Cheyenne a quick glance, then plastered a smile on her face. “Now I’m playing court jester to a raug chief.”
“Again, I think he’s talking about your skills, Em. Not the admittedly hilarious way that thing moves around.”
Shaking her head, Ember swiped the crawler’s panel and successfully made a straight run toward the raug chief. He laughed as she approached, nodding before turning to lead the way out of the canyon.
The warriors and their machines followed closely. Cheyenne studied L’zar, who was still sitting on the ground, his legs crossed beneath him as he swayed from side to side. His muttering voice rose softly, though the words were indecipherable.
Lumil shrugged and stalked off after the raug, Byrd close on her heels. Foltr gave the halfling a sharp nod and walked through the open gates, his staff clacking on the stone.
“L’zar.” Cheyenne stopped between her father and the nightstalkers, both of whom had changed back into their regular clothes. Corian and Maleshi gave her warning looks, but she ignored them. “Hey, we’re leaving.”
The drow didn’t respond.
“Awesome.” She raised an eyebrow at Maleshi and spread her arms. “He’s still drunk and unresponsive, huh?”
L’zar stopped swaying. “I’ve had centuries of practice fine-tuning my mental condition, thank you very much.” He pushed himself halfway to his feet, paused with a heavy sigh, then straightened all the way and moved with long strides after the rest of their party. He only stumbled twice before disappearing through the open gate.
Corian rubbed his forehead and passed Cheyenne without a word.
“Fifteen minutes isn’t what I meant by ‘give him time,’ kid.” Maleshi gestured at the courtyard beyond the city and waited for Cheyenne to move after the others.
“What about the time it takes us to get to wherever the Crown’s
