Tangled

Chapter 267

Unshift 267

Unshift 267

267 Lisa: Waking to War

A tiny hand shakes me awake with incongruous force, something I'd attribute to King Kong and not the gnomes who've been sheltering me and teaching me about magitech since my escape.

Groaning. I pull my blanket over my head. I'm too tired. "Go away

"Wake, wake, lazy girl! The war has come!"

The wizened old housekeeper-it has to be her, because no one else treats me like an unruly pig -yanks my covers off and slaps at my legs. "Hurry up, or die here alone!"

War?

I

Die?

My brain isn't functioning yet, but I stumble out of bed as she throws some clothes at me. "Dress! Hurry! Boots too!" Those are tossed at my feet, bruising my pinky toe in a way that has me hissing and hopping on one foot. "No time, you lazy girl! Get moving!"

Uncertain of what's going on but recognizing that her anxiety level is sky high, I throw on a clean shirt and jeans that they must have sourced from humans. Too bad they didn't bring a bra, too.

But at least there's socks.

Shoving my feet into them, the gnarled woman shoves at me until I fall onto my ass on the bed. "Put this on," she snaps, throwing a coat at me.

"Okay, okay. Hold on. You haven't even explained what's happening!"

"War!" she snaps. "Hurry!"

Despite her gruff demeanor, she kneels to shove my boots on as I shrug on the coat, two sizes too big and I double check what I'm feeling strapped in some hidden pockets-armed. With knives. In fact, they seem to fit the term dagger more than knife.

"Let's go. Hurry, hurry. The Grand Sage is waiting"

sort of high-falutin' to-do in the gnome

is her name, but I'm not allowed to call her that. No, it's always Mistress

think that's a real title, but it's definitely

"Mistress Keeper, I don't-"

shut your face," she hisses. "This isn't the time for

go."

bubbling up inside me. Even

14

Waking

terror has no qualms about doling out pain to keep me in line. So I follow her silently through the

once-confusing paths.

of corridors no longer bewilders me. After perusing a map for hours on

the moment, as I'm dragged through the halls in the middle

and I stumble, my heart leaping into my throat. Elverly's iron grip closes around my

gravelly

run, my longer legs having to put in a surprising amount

the kind that chill your blood and raise the hairs on the

War.

meaning. I'd thought she

Not a war here.

Not a war now.

a flight of stairs. The basement. We're heading to the

grim as we burst into the room. Without a word, he ushers us toward what he calls the

his usual calm demeanor

alive, whirring and clicking. Panels shift, mechanisms engage, and the space around us shrinks. It's like being inside a giant,

left in a space so cramped I can barely sit. Standing is out of the question, and moving? Forget about it. I'm

metal, and fear. I struggle to control my breathing, trying not to give

new thing, ever since my escape. I don't

unable to

24

C

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