Tangled

Unshift 269

Unshift 269

269 Lisa: The Farmhouse

LISA

The entire world shakes and shudders, and I wake with a jolt. "Earthquake!"

"We landed, you idiot." Elverly scowls at me. "Next time, don't use me as a pillow."

"Don't take her vitriol seriously, Lisa. She's the one who covered you with a blanket." The Grand Sage nods toward me, and I glance down, surprised to see a flannel fabric about as large as a baby's blanket. She yanks it off me with a huff, folding it and tucking it under her arm, where it disappears.

I blink.

"Where did it go?"

*Dimensional storage, The Grand Sage tells me, pushing different buttons. The vibration of the room ceases. "Stay here. I'm going to check on matters, and the cloaking device isn't enough to cover everyone outside"

A hatch above us creaks open, letting in a sliver of light that makes me squint. I hold my breath, not daring to move as the Grand Sage maneuvers his way between Elverly and me. His robes brush against my arm, and I catch a whiff of something herbal-sage, maybe?

Funny. Sage for sages.

my

As he climbs, I can't help but stare at the rungs he's using. Were those there before? I wrack brain, trying to remember if I'd noticed them during our journey, but come up blank. It's possible they were there all along, hidden in the shadows of this cramped space.

But it's more probable that they popped out of the wall when he was pressing one of those many buttons.

The Grand Sage's feet disappear through the hatch, and I strain my ears, trying to catch any sound from above. The silence remains unbroken, broken only by my own shallow breathing and the faint rustle of Elverly's clothes as she shifts in her seat.

"Do

whisper, but Elverly cuts

quiet. Got

waiting is excruciating. How long has it been since the Grand Sage left?

above snaps me back to

and I blink against the sudden influx of light. The Grand Sage's face. appears in the opening, his expression

words are grim.

her seat and

269 Lisa The Farmhouse

being cramped for so long. As I near the top, I can't

weren't there before. I'm sure of it now. They seem to melt seamlessly into. the wall, as if they've always been a part of it.

in what looks like an old barn, dusty sunlight filtering through

did we magically land inside a

to ask, but I already know the explanation will be

of the floor, looking for all the world like an oversized metal egg with a flat top. If I hadn't just climbed out of it, I'd never believe it could fit three people inside, plus all the things that are in the 'dimensional storage' they speak

we?" I ask, unable

Grand Sage turns with a faint frown. "We did

of the

very happy to be here." Glancing around, I ask,

It certainly seems quiet.

we are parted. If anything happens, come here

That seems terrible. I can't imagine leaving them

"Don't introduce yourself by name. Use a pseudonym, if you must. His nose wrinkles.

farmland stretching out before us. Horses and cows graze peacefully in nearby paddocks, oblivious to our status as refugees. A cluster of beat-up trucks sits in the driveway

wrinkles as she surveys our surroundings. Her disdain is palpable, and I can't help but share her sentiment. This place seems a little

again, I guess no one would

motions for us to follow him