Chapter 7
THE TEA HUT
The Tea Hut lay at the northwestern tip of the Magic Emporium.
And I do mean lay. Literally. Once, it had been a cozy cafe, serving twenty flavors of tea and ten varieties of hot chocolate, at least according to the menu board nailed over the front door.
I had to cant my head to read it properly because the building was on its side.
Something—or someone—had knocked it over five years ago, and no one knew who, what, how, or why.
“Savannah Winters.”
I jumped in surprise when Yara said my name.
Where had she come from? She seemed to have materialized out of nowhere, which, since we lived in a world with magic, was perfectly plausible.
The moment I saw Yara, two things were perfectly clear.
One: she knew I knew who she was. And two: she wasn’t playing around; she’d come here to get what she wanted, no matter what.
I shot the twin swords in her hands a wary look.
They were both pointed directly at me. She’d also abandoned the whole damsel-in-distress look in favor of a damsel-causing-distress vibe, complete with a long, black leather jacket and a pair of matching boots.
Bands of throwing knives looped around her arms like bracelets.
Yara sized me up, slow and menacing. Her swords remained firmly fixed on me. I had a feeling that if I moved, she’d skewer me.
She knew.
How much she knew was another question. Obviously, she’d figured out that I knew she was lying to me about being Ren’s daughter.
She might have even figured out that I’d come here to stop her.
I was pretty sure she didn’t know that I had backup.
If she had, her attention wouldn’t be focused solely on me.
Conner was nearby, invisible, checking the scene for traps. Apparently, the Nightingale had a reputation for fighting dirty. Imagine that.
She smiled like she’d read my thoughts. “I’m going to be blunt, Savannah, because I think you’ll appreciate that.”
Translation: I’m giving myself a free pass to be a jerk.
Her smile sharpened. “Tyren doesn’t belong here. He came to Gaia without your Government’s knowledge or permission. Tyren’s inventions are dangerous. Tyren is dangerous. His very presence here puts all your people at risk. Tell me where he is, and I will remove him from your realm.”
“And bring him to Dellondré.”
“She wants him. You don’t. I’m here to make sure everyone gets what they want.”
“Everyone except for Tyren. Do you honestly expect me to help you capture someone against his will, someone whose greatest crime is that he knows how to make magical things that people want?”
Yara wasn’t smiling anymore. “I tried being civil.”
I choked back a snort.
“But my patience has run out. Bring me the Alchemist. You have one hour. And then things will get very ugly.”
With that dramatic line delivered, Yara turned on her heel and… Nothing. Nothing happened. She stomped her foot. Still nothing. She stomped both feet. Nada.
She spun back around toward me. Her face was painted a lovely shade of pissed off. “What did you do?”
“She didn’t do anything. It was all me.” Conner’s amused chuckles echoed through the air, then he appeared beside me. He gave his hand a sharp wave.
Yara stumbled backward, thrown off balance by a force both powerful and unseen. She swung a punch, and her hand bounced back to her. It twisted behind her back and stuck to her other hand. Her hands were now bound at the wrists. Yara growled.
She tried her legs next, but that ended in exactly the same way.
“That wasn’t very clever,” Conner chided her.
Yara stood there like a stiff board. With her wrists and ankles pinned, she couldn’t move, but she could glare at him. And, oh boy, was she glaring.
Conner demonstrated his terror by letting out a long, exaggerated yawn.
Yara glared some more.
“Ok, guys, you can come out now,” Conner said.
A Rebel materialized on either side of Yara. Vivi and Cedar. Vivi winked at me. Cedar, on the other hand, had his full attention focused on Yara. He wasn’t looking at me at all, a fact I was exceedingly grateful for. Cedar gave me the heebie-jeebies.
“You will come to regret this.” Yara had redirected her angry glare from Conner to me. “One of these days, Savannah Winters, being a self-righteous goody two-shoes is going to backfire big time.” Her face twisted into a sneer. “I hope I’m there when that happens.”
“Bring her to the Black Obelisk,” Conner told the Rebels. “Tie her to a post just outside the front gate, then get out of there fast. Don’t go past the gate. The General has upgraded his defenses.”
Vivi and Cedar nodded, then they and Yara flickered out of sight.
Conner turned to me. “All right, Red. Let’s go have a chat with your Alchemist.”