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

but Elverly cuts

Stay quiet. Got

since the Grand Sage left? A minute? Five? Time seems to stretch in this

thud from above snaps me back to the

sudden influx of light. The Grand Sage's face. appears in

clear," he says, but his words

from her seat and climbing

269 Lisa The Farmhouse

near the top, I can't help but

they've always been a part of it. Another bit of magic? Or some kind

surroundings. We're in what looks like an old barn, dusty sunlight filtering through cracks

the hell did we

I already know the explanation will be over

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

we?" I ask, unable to contain my

turns with a faint frown. "We did not go

the

don't seem very happy to be here." Glancing around, I ask, "Are you

It certainly seems quiet.

slapping a white bracelet onto it. Elverly gets the same treatment. "This is in case we are parted. If anything happens, come here and press the

I can't imagine leaving

weigh his words carefully. "Don't introduce yourself by name. Use a pseudonym, if you must. His nose wrinkles. "This place doesn't smell right.

farmland stretching out before us. Horses and cows

surroundings. Her disdain is palpable, and I can't help but share her sentiment. This place seems a little too worn down to be considered a safe

would expect to

Sage motions for us