The Drow Hath Sent Thee

by Martha Carr

“Really?” Ember turned to follow Cheyenne back out of the kitchen. “She’s totally cool with it?”

  “Not totally.” This time, Cheyenne held the kitchen door open until the fae floated through into the wide hall. “But she’s down to let him help. At least when it comes to getting the rest of this magic out of her to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again. And I guess I’m gonna let him.”

  “Because she wants you to.”

  “Yeah. That’s pretty much the only reason. I’ll figure out why this is happening to her, but I’m not gonna rely on L’zar for anything anymore. Especially when it comes to my mom.” Cheyenne stopped at the bottom of the staircase and folded her arms as she looked up at the second floor. “I don’t need him anymore, either.”

  “I don’t think you ever really did.” Ember floated closer to the halfling, scanning the large, seemingly empty house before she whispered, “And I think he knows that.”

  Cheyenne shot her friend a sidelong glance. “Why are we whispering?”

  “Because the guy literally moves through walls and makes himself invisible. He could be anywhere.”

  “Well, he’s not down here.” With a deep breath, Cheyenne nodded up the staircase. “I’m ready to get outta here, though. It’s too weird being in the middle of all this right now.”

  “Sure. I need a shower and a change of clothes anyway.”

  They headed up the stairs with the low mutter of voices from inside Bianca’s bedroom growing louder. Cheyenne knocked on the doors, and Eleanor opened them this time. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah.” Cheyenne tried to peer around the housekeeper to get a look at her mom. “We’re gonna head out.”

  “Come in, Cheyenne,” Bianca called as she slowly pushed herself up off the bed.

  Eleanor frowned at the woman as she opened the door the rest of the way. “Do you think you should be getting out of bed right now?”

  “You pumped me full of orange juice and eggs, Eleanor.”

  “And I still see some on your plate.” Eleanor nodded at the tray on the breakfast cart, and Bianca waved her off as she stood and took a slow step forward.

  Cheyenne pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. Perfectly clear who had the mothering instincts here, even without having her own kids.

  “Thanks for letting us crash here,” Ember said, slipping through the open door behind Cheyenne. “And for breakfast.”

  “I hope I don’t have to keep reminding you that you’re always welcome here,” Bianca replied, her voice tenser and lower than usual, though she’d molded her expression into its usual composure. Then she glanced at Cheyenne. “Both of you.”

  Eleanor cleared her throat and returned to the breakfast cart, fiddling nervously with the utensils and dishes and the tray lid. “Any idea when you’ll be coming back?”

  “Well, we’ve got some things to take care of in the next couple of days, but after that, if it’s okay with you guys, I’ll come back up here. Maybe Tuesday or Wednesday, to check in.”

  “Well, don’t ask me.” The housekeeper let out a nervous chuckle and shook her head. “I’m not the one making the schedule.”

  “Except that you are.” Bianca gave her friend a brief glance, then nodded. “Tuesday or Wednesday is fine, Cheyenne. Call before you head up.”

  “I will.” Cheyenne approached her mom and dipped her head, trying to make the conversation a little more private in a space that didn’t offer much privacy. “Are you sure you’ll be okay for the next few days?”

  “If I had an issue with you leaving, I would have said so.”

  “I know. I have to make sure. You know, with everything else going on right now.”

  “I’ll manage.” Bianca offered a tight, closed-lipped smile. “And so will you, I have no doubt.”

  They stared at each other, and Cheyenne couldn’t think of anything else to say that hadn’t already been said. Bianca blinked in discomfort and leaned slowly forward. Is she about to hug me right now?

  L’zar appeared in the doorway and slapped a hand on the closed door, jarring everyone out of the moment. “And I’m not setting foot out of this house until we find a solution, Cheyenne. That’s a promise. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  Grimacing, the halfling stepped away from her mom but couldn’t quite bring herself to look at her father. “Except for that.”

  “Would it make you feel better if I told you I won’t leave your mother’s side until she’s safe?”

  “No.” Mother and daughter said it at the same time with equal force.

  The Weaver shrugged and stepped into the bedroom anyway. “It’s a figure of speech. The part about not leaving her side, not the part about staying in the house.”

  Cheyenne took a deep breath and forced her irritation down into a tiny box before she looked back at her mom. “You can tell him to leave.”

  “As long as he stays out of my way, I’m willing to submit myself to the aggravation.”

  Eleanor snorted, still fiddling with the breakfast cart. “And out of my kitchen. You hear me? That’s off-limits.”

  L’zar spread his arms. “There are ground rules. I understand.”

  Yeah, like he ever gave a shit about rules or personal boundaries. Cheyenne placed a hand gently on her mom’s upper arm and nodded. A hug at this point would’ve been awkward for many reasons. “Call me if you need anything.”

  “Cheyenne, I’m not an invalid. And Eleanor handles anything I could possibly need.”

  The housekeeper let out a squeak that was half laughter, half nervous surprise. “Business as usual around here.”

  “I mean, if you need anything Eleanor can’t handle.”

  “I’ll be here, Cheyenne.” L’zar cocked his head. “I can handle it.”

  “Yeah, sorry for not having full faith in your ability to handle anything right now.” Cheyenne raised an eyebrow at him. “Wait. I’m not sorry about that.”

  The Weaver grinned at his daughter. “Point taken.”

  “But if you’re gonna play drow protector here, you have to stick to the plan. Got it?”

  “Of course.” He glanced around the room and frowned. “And that plan is?”

  “If you think of anything connected to those runes or something new shows up, if anything changes or looks different, if Bianca even sneezes in a way that doesn’t sound right, you call me. No exceptions.”

  “Really, Cheyenne.” Bianca let out a heavy sigh. “A sneeze?”

  “I’m serious. I don’t want to leave any of this up to chance, and who knows what might happen?”

  “I’ll be fine.”

  Cheyenne widened her eyes at her mom. “I know. And I still want to hear about it. I’m only good with L’zar staying here if he promises to hold up his end of the deal, which is telling me about anything the second it happens.” She turned back to the drow thief and folded her arms. “And when I say promise, I don’t mean the kind you only keep when you feel like it.”

  “I have no problem alerting you to any changes around the estate, Cheyenne.”

  “Say it.”

  L’zar clasped his hands behind his back and dipped his head. “Fine. I promise. Though I do have one minor request as far as the terms of upholding that promise are concerned.”

  Cheyenne rolled her eyes. “Of course you do. What is it?”

  “I’d rather not have to use a phone if that’s possible.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “They’re not my thing, modern Earthside technology being what it is. You understand.”

  “Not really.”

  A sharp laugh burst out of Ember, and she clapped a hand over her mouth before turning away to compose herself.

  “The deal is you call me, L’zar.”

  “Why does it matter how I communicate with you?”

  “Because I don’t trust any other crazy way you might come up with. That’s why.”

  A small frown creased the drow thief’s eyebrows. “The Don’adurr T
hread is just as reliable.”

  “It’s really not. I don’t want you popping up in my head whenever you feel like, so you get to pick up a phone, dial my number, and wait for me to answer. That’s how this works.”

  “It’s not my preference.”

  “I don’t care. Why is this such a big deal for you?”

  Blinking quickly, L’zar looked at the ceiling and sucked in an aggravated breath through his teeth. “I don’t understand the nuances.”

  “Of cell phones?”

  He closed his eyes and tilted his head in a barely perceptible nod.

  Eleanor burst out laughing. Bianca shot her a stern look tinged with her own amusement, and that only made the housekeeper laugh even harder.

  “I don’t see the humor in this,” L’zar muttered. “Nor do I appreciate your amusement at my expense.”

  Bianca turned her calculating gaze on the drow thief, and when she smiled, the composure she showed when she knew she had the upper hand, which was almost always, returned with it. “A good dose of humiliation now and again does wonders for one’s commitment to self-improvement. Wouldn’t you agree?”

  L’zar glanced at her and said nothing.

  Jesus, this is one of the weirdest conversations I’ve been sucked into in a while. “Look, L’zar. You’re out of prison, and now you’re stuck in this world forever. Figure out how to use a cell phone at the very least, or you’ll be obsolete before they are.”

  A low growl escaped him, and he grimaced with flaring nostrils as he dipped his head to his daughter one more time. “Fine. Should the occasion arise, I will call you.”

  “Good.” Cheyenne shared a knowing glance with her mom. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

  “I look forward to it.”

  “Oh, no.” Eleanor slammed the silver lid back down on the breakfast tray and hurried around the cart. “Don’t think you can slip out of this house without a proper goodbye. Come here.”

  She opened her arms and drew Cheyenne in for a crushing hug that lasted a little longer than usual.

  Cheyenne laughed and hugged the woman back, ignoring the flaring pain in her shoulders. “Same goes for you. Call me if anything changes.”

  “That’s been my first priority since all this started.” Eleanor released her and patted the outsides of Cheyenne’s arms. “As long as you’re in cell-phone range, if you know what I mean.”

  “I’m not going out of range again anytime soon, Eleanor. I promise.”

  “Good. It’s strange enough to think about you being wherever that is. Ember.” Eleanor practically threw herself at the fae to dole out another of her signature hugs. Ember laughed. “Always good to see you. And I know you’ll keep an eye on this one while she heads out to save the world, won’t you?”

  Ember laughed, her eyes widening under the strength of the housekeeper’s embrace. “I will. It’s kind of my job, anyway.”

  “Sweetheart, if anyone understands how that works, I do.” Eleanor reached up to pat Ember’s cheek, then turned back to the cart. “Don’t let us keep you. Be safe.”

  With a nod at each of them, the housekeeper grabbed the breakfast cart’s handle and wheeled it out of the room, pausing only to shoot L’zar a disapproving scowl before she disappeared through the bedroom doors.

  Then it was Ember, Cheyenne, and both the halfling’s parents standing quietly in the bedroom. L’zar gestured at the open doors. “Better get to it, then.”

  Cheyenne glared at him. “Really? The drow squatter’s telling me to leave.”

  “Well, you said you had business to take care of.”

  She looked at her mom again and fought back the urge to blast L’zar through the far wall. “See you soon, Mom.”

  Bianca nodded and slowly lowered herself onto the edge of the bed. “Drive safely.”

  “Yeah, we will.” Cheyenne turned and headed out of the bedroom without looking at L’zar.

  Ember followed her and glanced at the drow thief before lifting her hand to her ear, thumb and pinky finger extended in the shape of a phone, and mouthed, ‘You better call her.’ L’zar merely raised an eyebrow and stared after them as the girls headed down the hall.

  Cheyenne ducked into her childhood bedroom to grab her trenchcoat, then she and Ember headed down the stairs to the foyer and the front door. Weird way to leave things here. Bianca and L’zar in her bedroom, hanging out.

  “I don’t have the energy or patience for this right now.” Bianca’s voice drifted through the open door of her bedroom. “Close the door on your way out.”

  The halfling opened the front door and stepped into the crisp mid-morning air. At least she doesn’t make an exception for him when it comes to saying exactly what she’s thinking. She’ll be fine. She can handle him. As long as he doesn’t pull any more stupid drow tricks.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  On their drive back to Richmond from the Summerlin estate in Henry County, Cheyenne connected her phone to the Panamera’s Bluetooth and pulled up Maleshi’s number. Ember looked at her but didn’t say anything as the ringtone filled the car.

  The general picked up on the second ring. “Well, good morning.”

  “I’ve had better.” Cheyenne shrugged and stared at the road. “You busy right now?”

  “Just talking to you, kid. What’s up?”

  “I have a few questions about what’s going on with my mom. Not one of those things I wanna talk about over the phone, so I was hoping we could stop by in about an hour and talk it over in person.”

  “We?”

  Ember sat back in the passenger seat. “Hey, Maleshi.”

  The general chuckled. “For a minute there, I had a vision of both your parents in my living room, Cheyenne. Gotta say it was hard to fully visualize, with your mom’s condition and everything.”

  “Well, she’s awake now,” Cheyenne replied. “And she doesn’t ever leave the house. She definitely wouldn’t go anywhere with him.”

  “Can’t blame her. If it’s just you and Ember, sure. I’ll see you in an hour.”

  “Thanks.”

  The call ended, and Cheyenne gripped the steering wheel even tighter.

  “Didn’t know we were making a detour to visit the general,” Ember said.

  “She might know something, Em. Or at least the next place to start looking for someone who might know something.”

  “About the curse on Bianca?”

  “Yeah. And why she’s been pulled into this, if there even is a reason.”

  “What happens if there is?”

  Cheyenne cast her friend another quick glance and shrugged. “Then I’ll figure out what it is and how to separate Bianca from everything else going on right now. I’m not gonna let her get dragged into this any further than she already is.”

  “Right. Find the loopholes.”

  The halfling took a deep breath. “Guess that runs on the drow side of the family too.”

  Less than an hour later, Maleshi Hi’et opened the front door of her house and stepped aside to let Ember and Cheyenne in. “You two are lookin’ a little rough.”

  “Yeah, good to see you too.” Cheyenne closed the door behind her as Maleshi walked down the entry hall to her living room on the left.

  “Callin’ it like I see it, kid. Hey, I made mimosas. Anybody want some?”

  Cheyenne and Ember shared a confused glance as they followed the general around the staircase and into the kitchen. “You drink mimosas?”

  “Sunday Funday and all that, right?”

  Ember laughed. “Like, the real kind made with champagne, or did you stash Bloodshine around here somewhere?”

  Maleshi stopped at the center island in her small kitchen and gestured at the bottle of champagne, a carton of orange juice, and the pitcher in which she’d mixed them. “The real kind. I wouldn’t mix orange juice with Bloodshine if my life depended on it. That’s disgusting.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Ember shrugged. “I’ll have one.”

  “Excellent.” The gen
eral pulled two champagne flutes out of the cabinet, then looked at Cheyenne. “What about you?”

  “I’m good.”

  “Hair of the dog is a thing, you know.”

  “Yeah, so is a fae healing the hangover right out of me. I’m not in the mood.”

  Maleshi glanced at Ember with raised eyebrows, the corners of her mouth turned up in approval. “I’m impressed.”

  “Thank you.” Ember grinned when Maleshi poured the drinks and handed her a glass.

  They clinked their flutes together, then the general took a slow sip and gestured at the kitchen table on the far side of the island. “Wanna take a seat?”

  “Yeah.” Cheyenne headed that way, gazing around at the potted plants hanging from the ceiling, vines trailing over the sides, and the blooming orchids lining the half-wall between the kitchen and the family room. “Didn’t know you had such a green thumb.”

  “Oh. Well, I’ve had a few centuries to sort out the kinks in not killing every living thing I touch.”

  Ember snorted as she pulled out a chair at the table. “Plants and magicals are two totally different things.”

  Maleshi lowered herself into a chair across from Cheyenne. “I meant killing plants, Ember. But yeah, I can see where there might be some confusing overlap. So what’s going on with your mom, kid?”

  Cheyenne leaned back in her chair and stuck her hands in her lap. “Like I said, she’s awake. So that’s a plus, at least.”

  “Any idea how that happened?”

  “Nope.”

  “But assuming the time of day was the same here and on the other side,” Ember added, “it sounds like she woke up at the same time Ba’rael disappeared and Cheyenne had her fifteen minutes of ruling.”

  Maleshi’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  The halfling frowned at her friend. “Yeah. I wasn’t even thinking about that part.”

  Ember shrugged. “I’m just making observations.”

  “Good ones too.” Maleshi raised her glass to Ember and nodded. “That’s an interesting development.”

  “But it’s not what I need help with,” Cheyenne said. “You saw the runes on my mom when she was still passed out, I guess.”

  “Yep.”