Holy shit. That’s my magic,healing me!
Ember’s mouth went dry as she stared at her legs. Then she felt the buzz warming her unused muscles and laughed. I’m gonna walk again. Jesus, how do I know this?
Her stomach heaved. It’s gonna happen.
She wiped sweat off her forehead and took slow, steady breaths, focusing on her legs. I had no idea I could do this. I can do this, however long it takes.
The fae girl lurched forward and leaned sideways right before she vomited glowing blue fruit skin and half-chewed berries all over the temple floor. Breathing heavily, she waited for the next wave. When it didn’t come, Ember wiped her mouth with the back of a hand and laughed.
“They drugged me into finding my magic. And,” she said, grinning, “I’m totally okay with it.”
Chapter Forty-Four
On the top of the mountain, Neros leaned toward Cheyenne and narrowed his eyes as he scanned her face for the millionth time. “Why are you so different?”
“We went over that.” She scooted back across the floor and dropped her hands into her lap. “I am different. At least, different from everyone else in this world. Apparently, halflings are an Earthside myth like Nor’ieth and the olforím. Now we know it’s all based on truth, huh?”
“No.”
Cheyenne squinted at him and cocked her head. “No, the myths aren’t based on truth, or no, something else I missed?”
“Your human blood is only part of what makes you different, Cheyenne. There’s something else.” Neros frowned, his bone-white eyebrows darkening his pale features in an odd play of shadow and sunlight. “Something I haven’t seen before.”
“Well, that might also be the Sorren Gán’s magic that L’zar tricked himself into getting, I guess. Then he gave it to me.”
“You have so many answers, cousin. None of them tell me what I want to know.”
“And you have a lot of questions.” With a snort, Cheyenne folded her arms. “I don’t know what else you to tell you, Neros. I don’t have all the answers. I can’t see whatever it is you and L’zar see. Not even sure I want to. And by the way, how are you able to read the Weave? L’zar had to almost die and pledge his unending loyalty to a creature that doesn’t give a shit about him, but I have a feeling you took a different route.”
Neros spread his arms and gave her a blank, distracted smile. “We are here.”
She clicked her tongue. “And you were doing so well with the first-person pronouns.”
“Not just me.” Her cousin gestured toward the valley with a sweep of his arm, his fingers folding in on themselves at the end. “All of us. The olforím, Nor’ieth, the light. Everything weaves together. If I were to leave this place, I would still be here.”
“Hmm.” Cheyenne nodded slowly. Play along, and maybe he’ll say something that makes sense. “So you can leave.”
His pale eyes narrowed. “Why would I?”
“Well, to start, there’s the fairly large, looming issue of your mother, who’s as crazy as L’zar but kinda still has a foot in the door when it comes to plastering her crazy all over Ambar’ogúl. And keeping me from fixing everything she’s broken in the process.” Assuming she doesn’t refuse my so-called terms and goes the kill Cheyenne route instead.
“Nothing is broken.”
“See, that’s where I think we’re hitting a disconnect. You haven’t stepped out of this place once since you got here, have you?”
“Why would I?”
Cheyenne closed her eyes and forced herself not to rub her temples in frustration. “Yeah, you already asked that. And I don’t have an answer for you, because I’m not…whoa, whoa.” She jerked away. His pale fingers were floating through the white hair draping over her shoulders. “What are you doing?”
“I can’t see you.”
“You can see me fine, and I’d seriously appreciate it if you continued to see me from at least two feet away. At least.”
Neros sighed, another frown flickering across his forehead. “Whatever you carry with you, Cheyenne, it is enough.”
“Well, thanks.” She shrugged. “I’m all for a healthy level of confidence, but I’m not sure that’s gonna help me much against the Crown. She’s been poisoning this world, Neros. Stealing magic from others to fuel her own. Spilling the leftover waste as far as it’ll go. It’s crossing over the Border now too.”
“I don’t care about any of that.” The pale drow waved her off with a scowl, then ran his gaze across her shoulder and down her arm. “Tell me about your beginning.”
“My beginning?” I’m not sitting here, spilling my guts to this guy about the terrifying, lonely first years of my life. And I’m definitely not saying a word about Bianca. “Anything specific?”
“Everything.” Neros’ eyes widened, and he leaned toward her again. “Your first memory. Your first thought. What you felt when you saw yourself in the mirror and realized it was you staring back through your eyes.”
Cheyenne chuckled and cocked her head. “Sorry, man. I have a fairly good memory, but it doesn’t go that far back.”
“Why not?”
She frowned and pursed her lips. “In general, most of us don’t remember any of those things.”
“I do.” Neros leaned forward even farther and placed his hands on the white stone floor. “I remember the doorway opening to me for the first time. I remember the light touching down from the Weave to wake me up. I remember you.”
“Nice try. We never met before this.”
“And still.” He looked quickly back and forth from one of her golden eyes to the other and drew a long, loud breath. “I can’t find what binds you.”
“Hey, seriously. Cut it out.” She slapped his hand away when he reached toward her mouth. “That’s another thing, man. You can’t crawl up to someone and start touching them.”
“Does it hurt you?”
“What? No. It’s creepy, and I like my personal space, okay?”
“Space.”
