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"

taken me under his wing and owns this place. He's some sort of high-falutin' to-do in the gnome community. They don't explain a lot, but it's what I've gathered

is her name, but I'm not

a real title, but it's

"Mistress Keeper, I don't-"

understand, then shut your face," she hisses. "This

go."

bite my tongue, swallowing the questions bubbling up inside me. Even

14

Waking to

no qualms about doling out pain to keep me in line.

once-confusing paths.

corridors no longer bewilders me. After perusing a map for hours on end, I the layout etched

I'm dragged through the halls in the

floor bucks beneath my feet, and I stumble, my heart leaping into

barks, her gravelly voice laced with

a run, my longer legs having to put in a surprising amount of effort to keep pace with

that chill your blood and raise the hairs on the back of your

War.

taking on a horrifying new meaning. I'd thought she meant some sort of far-off conflict, a theoretical

Not a war here.

Not a war now.

down a flight

wizened face is grim as we burst into the room. Without a word, he ushers us toward what he calls the "safe room. The door swings open, revealing a space crammed with gadgets and gizmos I can't even

calm demeanor cracking under

and he locks the door behind us. The room comes alive, whirring and clicking. Panels shift, mechanisms engage, and the space around us shrinks. It's like being inside a giant, mechanical Rubik's

a space so cramped I can barely sit. Standing is out of the question, and moving? Forget about it. I'm wedged between Elverly and the Grand Sage, my

and heavy as we all breathe into this tiny space, sharing the mingled scents of oil, metal, and fear. I struggle to control my

my escape. I don't like being

unable to

24

C

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