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"

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

from this gnome-Elverly is her name, but I'm not allowed to call her that.

real title, but it's definitely what she

"Mistress Keeper, I don't-"

then shut your face," she hisses.

go."

my tongue, swallowing the questions bubbling up

14

Lisa Waking to

doling out pain to keep me in line. So I follow her silently through the dark building, my feet now sure on

once-confusing paths.

longer bewilders me. After perusing a map for

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

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

her gravelly voice laced with

legs having to put in a surprising

chill your blood and raise the

War.

taking on a horrifying new meaning. I'd thought she meant some sort of

Not a war here.

Not a war now.

of our situation slams into me as we careen down a flight of stairs. The basement. We're heading to the basement, where the Grand

us toward what he calls

his usual calm demeanor cracking under the

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 cube as it solves

out of the question, and moving? Forget about it.

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

thing, ever since my escape. I don't like being

whisper, unable to keep

24

C

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