Tangled

Unshift 249

Unshift 249

249 Ava: Unrest

Magister Orion's booming voice wakes me from the unsettling dream, though it's too much work to open my eyes. I'm exhausted. My body feels like it weighs a thousand pounds. My ears tune in before I'm fully awake.

*-in an uproar. Every portal is guarded, and the death tolls keep rising. The militia's working on the riots, but they might not be enough. It makes no sense at all. There's no rhyme or reason to

1. it.

"How safe are we here?"

"It's impossible to tell. The High Fae have already taken one family into custody for insurrection, but it's possible there are more. It's as though everyone's lost their minds."

That doesn't sound good.

My eyes snap open and I struggle to sit up, pleasantly surprised my body's aches are gone, even if I still feel heavy.

"What's going on?"

Magister Orion's face swims into view, his contorted features smoothing over. The sight jolts me fully awake, my heart rate picking up.

"How are you feeling?" he asks, his voice gruff.

I wave off his concern. My health isn't as important as this conversation. "I'm fine. What's going

on?"

Magister Orion exchanges a loaded glance with Vanessa. My stomach tightens.

H

"The city is in an uproar, Magister Orion says, his words heavy. "In the First, Second, and Third Wards, there are riots and uprisings. There's no rhyme or reason. Vampire against vampire, Fac against Fae; it's unclear who is ally or foe."

The timing is suspect. We can't contact anyone outside this place, and now there's civil unrest?

My mind reels, leaving me dizzy. "Does this happen often?"

"No, never." He clicks his tongue, running a hand over his face in frustration. "There have always been struggles of power, but they never involve the city. Assassinations, maybe. Financial destruction. Things of that nature. Too many powerful families have allied to keep peace in this sanctuary; no one can stand up to their combined power."

"Until now," Marcus says, surprising me. I didn't realize he was here.

"Until now," Magister Orion echoes with a sigh. "Too many people are missing. The body count keeps rising"

these powerful families, then? Vanessa asks. "Why aren't they

spreads his hands.

249 Ava: Unnest

continues, "There's no sign of Alpha Renard, or any other shifters in the city, including the

wondering how all this ties into our inability to

no way this isn't

What aren't we seeing?

process this information has my head spinning one way, then the other. It feels like

woken

too familiar. How many more times will the rug get pulled out from under me? "Someone is coming who might have answers," Magister Orion adds. "Do you remember the

who resembled my mother. Her cold demeanor is hard to forget. "Doesn't

grudging respect in

"What information might

cause for concern. Florice never involves herself in politics. She lives and breathes paperwork." "Why would she come to you?" Marcus asks suspiciously. "Do you think this could be a ploy

head, his salt-and-pepper hair catching the light. "Florice may dislike me because I refuse to play by the rules, but

"So she trusts you because you don't have a stake in

any faction. My only interest is

shifts beside me, his posture tense. "But how can we be sure she's not using that neutrality against you? Against

it comes with the territory; he's here to keep me safe, not

lips quirk into a wry smile. "Florice is many things, but not duplicitous. She's rigid, inflexible, and often infuriating, but she's also honest to a fault. If she's coming to

what would be dire enough for someone like Florice to seek help

249 Ava: Unrest

doesn't mean I'm healed; I fall asleep not long after, despite

wake up again, still

the suppressant's working.

"You feeling okay?"

voice warms

I think." I feel like I'm lying in a puddle of my own sweat, but

downstairs, waiting on Florice," Marcus says,

a while to start up, slowly tugging at my memories. "Oh. Florice.

"Three hours."

That's it?

face, he says, "You can go back to

head,

position, I twist my hair off the back of my neck. The room air is cool against the sweat gathered at my nape. "I think my fever's broken." "You look a little

pounds of bacon,

for Florice."

edge of the bed, I fall to

onto my arm as