Page 16 of The Princess of Portals

“The Nightingale came to me, pretending to be Ren’s daughter. She tried to use me to find him.”

Two more of Ophira’s bolts hit the tree. I needed to calm her down fast, before she set the whole woods on fire.

“We captured the Nightingale,” I said.

“I don’t believe you.”

Her actions said otherwise—or at least her lack of action did. She didn’t try to shoot me again.

“This is a trick.”

“It’s not,” I assured her. “The Rebels brought her to the Black Obelisk.”

Ophira’s laugh was short and derisive. “If that is indeed true, she will be free before the day is over. Humans cannot hold the Nightingale for long. She is too powerful. Too devious.”

“You’re probably right.”

“I am most certainly right.”

I could have sworn she relaxed her grip on the crossbow. Maybe I was finally getting through to her.

Sure enough, this time when she looked at me, she seemed to see something more than a faceless target. “You are Savannah Winters. I’ve heard about you.”

“What have you heard about me?”

“That you are completely incapable of minding your own business. You’re a do-gooder, a busybody, a pain in the proverbial rear end.”

Next to me, Conner was trying very hard not to laugh. His whole body was shaking from the effort. I rolled my eyes at him. I’d deal with him later.

“Some people find me helpful,” I said.

Ophira chuckled, and she didn’t sound quite so psychotic this time. I dared to be hopeful.

“I want to help you.”

“Oh, I believe that. You always try to help people, Savannah Winters. The Nightingale knew that. That’s why she spun her tale of lies. She used you to find us. So while you might mean to do good, people use you for evil. You’re too trusting and too eager. You need to work on that.”

“So I should become jaded and paranoid like you?”

“We’re more alike than you think.” Ophira finally lowered her crossbow. “You might as well come out from behind those bushes.”

“What, so you can shoot us?”

“I can shoot you either way. Do you honestly think that if I wanted to put a bolt in you, I’d let a scrawny bush get in my way?”

Probably not. I stepped around the bush, into the front yard. I took a cautious step forward. And another. And another. To my great delight, Ophira didn’t shower me with bolts.

“If what you say is true, we don’t have much time.” She fastened the crossbow onto her back. “I have to get Tyren away from Gaia before the Nightingale escapes and comes after him.”

“Aren’t you tired of running?”

I looked at Conner. What the blazes was he doing?

“If you run, the Nightingale will chase you,” he said. “It’s only a matter of time before she catches up with you again.”

“We must run,” Ophira replied. “As soon as the Nightingale realized we were here, she would have sent out a beacon. Reinforcements are on their way as we speak. The Nightingale will free herself, meet up with those reinforcements, then come for us. I cannot fight that many soldiers alone. And even if I could, if we stay, the Fortress will become a battleground. Is that what you want?”

“You need to think a little outside the box. Luckily for you, Savannah and I are very good at that.”