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

his hands.

249 Ava: Unnest

any other shifters in the city, including the rogues

this ties into our inability

way

What aren't we seeing?

to p Trying to process this information has my head spinning one

woken

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

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

the ass with the way she sticks to protocols, Magister Orion says, a hint of grudging respect in his tone. "But she's also a wealth of

curiosity piques. "What information might she have

agitated by the situation. That alone is cause for concern. Florice never involves herself in politics. She lives and breathes paperwork." "Why

head, his salt-and-pepper hair catching the light. "Florice may dislike me because I refuse to play by the rules, but she knows I'm neutral in the city's

because you don't

Orion nods. "I've never aligned myself with any faction. My only interest is

his posture tense. "But how can we be sure

I guess it comes with the territory; he's

inflexible, and often infuriating, but she's also honest to

dire enough for someone like Florice

249 Ava: Unrest

awake doesn't mean I'm healed; I fall asleep not

still groggy. Vanessa's gone, and

guess the suppressant's working. That's good to

"You feeling okay?"

voice warms

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

downstairs, waiting on Florice," Marcus

to start up, slowly tugging at my memories. "Oh. Florice. Wait, how long

"Three hours."

That's it?

surprise on my face, he says, "You can

head, I'm wide

into a seated position, I twist my hair off the back of my neck. The room air

and about twenty pounds of bacon, but

for Florice."

edge of the bed, I fall to the

me, holding onto my arm