Once Upon a Quest Page 14

  “Well, it’s getting dark. Do you mind if we spend the night in your humble cabin?” I asked, motioning behind us.

  “Of course! I apologize—the place is a despicable wreck!” He frowned. “It was much prettier than this.”

  “I’m sure you can fix it. It’ll do just fine.” I grinned, feeling my heart warm at the sweet smile from Tin Man. Funny how I felt I knew him and S.C. The way they spoke reminded me of something from my childhood. Imaginary friends? How was it that I knew them, but I could barely remember much else from my early years?

  The next morning, we hit the road as early we could. After a few hours, I ate some of the rations Mally had given me, which I gladly shared with S.C. Turning to human had given him a voracious appetite. Tin Man remained made of tin, which convinced me that S.C.’s story about my grandmother’s promise was true. Her secrets were coming back to haunt me. If only I could ask her more about the past, I might not be stuck here.

  I jogged up to catch up with S.C., sneaking a sideways glance at him. His human form was attractive. His scarecrow features remained in certain chiseled angles, but his smooth skin with day-old stubble made him appear quite different.

  “How did you become enchanted?”

  “Enchanted? Like as a scarecrow?”

  “No. As a human.”

  “Your grandmother made me human. She wished it upon her silver shoes, and poof, I was human.”

  “Why do you change back to a scarecrow then?”

  “When she took the magic from Oz, many things reverted back to how they were. Like the Emerald City; it was once so grand. But when she went away, the magic waned, and we were left with a crumbling paradise. When she left, Oz was drained of life. But there’s some magic in the city still… something that makes me human when I go near it.”

  “I can’t believe she would’ve let it fall to ruin. She couldn’t have known.”

  He shrugged. “I truly don’t know. I’d like to think she didn’t.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “We’ll survive.”

  Tin Man cleared his throat, which was still rough and sore from being rusted over for years. “She didn’t know. She also probably didn’t know she wouldn’t be able to return with just one silver shoe.”

  We both turned toward Tin Man, gawking. “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “The last time she came, she lost one of the shoes. I believe Mombi stole it from her when she wasn’t looking. So she put all the magic of the remaining shoe into one small piece and made it into an amulet. The very one you’re wearing.”

  I reached up, clasping the silver pendant. “So this is only one half of the magic?”

  He nodded. “Yes. Poor Dorothy… she was devastated when she lost it. The one shoe was enough to get her back to Kansas but not enough to return. She was locked out of Oz.”

  If it was true, I had to get the other shoe from Mombi to return home. “Tin Man, where can I find this Mombi?”

  “Why, in the tallest tower of the Emerald City. She lives there. She’s protected by juggernauts who roam in the shadows that surround the tower. They kill anyone who dares try to enter. I wouldn’t go there in a million years.”

  “She’s the old hag in the tower?”

  “Yes.”

  I pursed my lips. “The other shoe! That’s why S.C. turns human near the Emerald City. But we’ll need more help. Where can we find the Cowardly Lion?”

  They both lowered their eyes and pressed their hands to their hearts.

  “The lion died many years ago,” Tin Man said. “He was the only one of us three who was not immortal.”

  My heart fractured at the news. “I hope he died happy.”

  S.C. sighed. “He did. After many feasts and parties. He never did see the fall of Oz, bless his soul. He was a dear friend to us all.”

  “If only I could have met him.”

  S.C. stopped and pressed a finger to my lips. I halted in my steps. “Be careful what you wish for, Thea. You have a part of a silver shoe. It only takes one impulsive wish to cause havoc in Oz. Your grandmother found that out in the worst ways.”

  I nodded, swallowing. I pressed my hand to the pendant. “Do the wishes get all discombobulated?”

  “Sometimes the shoes get the wishes right. Most times, it’s just a horrible mess.”

  “For instance, if you wished the Cowardly Lion back, he’d return as a decayed corpse. We don’t want that!” Tin Man chuckled but cut it short as he saw the disgust on our faces. “Sorry.”

  “Ugh. No wishes. Got it,” I muttered.

  I already felt hungry again, and it wasn’t even noon. “I’m starving,” I said. “The bread rations Mally gave me will only go so far. What do you all eat out here?”

  * * *

  “Come on.” S.C. helped me up as Tin Man stomped out the campfire. S.C. had caught and skinned a rabbit to roast over the fire for lunch. Tin Man slurped his oilcan as we ate. “We’re almost there. We’ll reach the poppy fields soon.”

  “The poppy fields? Is it dangerous there?”

  He nodded and pointed at my amulet. “With that, we can cross the field safely into the city. Come on, you’ll see. It’s quite a sight.”

  He wasn’t lying. As we slipped into the fields, which had grown taller than the three of us, the flowers swayed in the wind, throwing an eerie, light blanket of pollen over us. It felt like snow, wistfully landing on everything in sight.

  I sneezed. We were soon knee-deep in the stuff, treading through it until we reached the place where the Yellow Brick Road ended: the gates of the ruined Emerald City.

  “It’s gone,” Tin Man wept, rusting himself as the tears spilled. I helped him oil up his eyelids and face before he became frozen again, consoling him while I held back my own tears.

  I knew this place, though I’d never been there before. I’d seen it. In dreams. In my mirror back home. I’d seen it several times in all its glory, years before.

  “We have to save it,” I whispered. “Come on. Mombi is in the tallest tower, right?” Tin Man nodded. I tugged at his hand and turned to lace my fingers into S.C.’s. “We’re almost there. Tell me more about this Mombi.”

  “She’s an old lady who stole away Princess Ozma when she was but an infant, renaming her Tip and turning her into a boy.”

  “What happened to Tip?”

  “No one knows. I heard she’d been restored as Princess Ozma by Glinda. Ozma disappeared near the time Dorothy last left for Kansas. I heard Mombi was stripped of her powers, but here she is, still haunting Oz.”

  This wasn’t what I wanted to hear.

  We passed several decrepit buildings. The Emerald City looked deserted. Buildings were crumbling, and bricks were scattered across every road. There wasn’t a lick of life anywhere to be seen.

  I swallowed, afraid to know the fate of the kingdom if I didn’t acquire the second silver shoe’s magic to restore it. Something about Ozma tugged at the back of my mind. When I squeezed my eyes shut, I recalled the mirror back home. It was an ornate mirror made of what I believed to be gold-colored metal, possibly real gold, lined with emeralds. I instinctively knew the mirror had originated in Oz. How would such an artifact have ended up in Kansas?

  “S.C., did Ozma have a mirror made of gold and emeralds?”

  He pensively chewed on his lip. “Perhaps. Almost everything the royal family owned was made of gold and emeralds.”

  I looked up and spotted one tower that didn’t look as dilapidated as all the rest. “That has to be Mombi’s tower,” I said. “Come on, we have no time to lose.”

  * * *

  We kept our eyes peeled for resistance but met none. I pushed against the creaky wrought iron door of the tower, feeling a wave of dread wash over me.

  “Is Mombi evil?” I asked as we filled the entrance and peered around the darkness. As our eyes adjusted, I could see the spiral staircase leading up into the higher levels of the tower. The ground floor appeared abandoned as well, without so much as a footprint
in the thick layer of dust embedded into the cobblestone floor.

  “I don’t know. She was stripped of her powers by Glinda years ago, but I heard she was a mean old woman,” S.C. answered.

  I groaned, which swiftly turned into a yelp as the door shut behind us, locking itself.

  “Tell me this place isn’t haunted,” I whispered, attempting to calm my frenzied heart.

  “No one ventures here, but I wouldn’t doubt spirits cling to the past.” Tin Man shook, his metal clinking like chimes in the darkness. Again our eyes adjusted, but only to the slight illumination from torches igniting along the walls of the spiral staircase.

  “Up it is,” I chuckled, more from fear than hilarity. This was a nightmare. I had to be back home, passed out on the floor after crashing into the golden mirror. Yes, that was it. There was no way this could all be real.

  I blew out a breath. God, I hoped that was it.

  “Come on.”

  * * *

  We stepped onto the top floor and looked around. There was a small foyer with a single emerald-colored flower in a vase. Unlike everything else in the city, it shined like new, and I wondered how much power had returned to Mombi.

  Maybe it was the silver shoe that gave her enough magic to live comfortably up there by herself. Reaching out, I placed my fingers on an emerald knob and turned it slowly. The door was unlocked, and we found ourselves in a vast apartment with every luxury I could imagine. A woman stood at one end, stirring a pot atop an old, cast iron stove. She turned to us and smiled sweetly.

  “Oh, Dorothy! Do come in. I’ve been waiting so long for your visit. Please, make yourself at home.” Mombi eyed me up and down before turning her attention to my companions. She nodded as though approving of S.C. but then flinched and frowned at Tin Man as he clanked in, the door automatically shutting and locking behind him.

  “Welcome to my humble abode atop the Emerald City. You’re just in time for lunch!” She pointed at the mismatched chairs around a small coffee table. We shuffled over and sat down, like dogs obeying their master. I had not wanted to sit, nor had I wanted to even move from my spot near the door, but she’d made us move. Our willpower was all but gone.

  “Mombi, I need the silver shoe in your possession. You see, I can’t return to Kansas or restore the city without it. I’m sure you don’t want to see Oz fall to ruin. I can restore it before I leave.”

  The woman, whose bright green eyes shined at the mention of the shoe, reached up to touch her slender neck. There rested a silver amulet. Had my grandmother turned both shoes to amulets before losing one of them to Mombi?

  “You’re as feisty as ever, Dorothy.”

  “I’m not Dorothy. She’s my grandmother.”

  “Grandmother?” She took a step forward, scrutinizing me in a way that made my skin crawl. I fought the urge to scratch the sensation away.

  “Truly, but you are definitely part of her.” Mombi laughed.

  Suddenly, her youth melted away, and a wrinkled old lady stood before us, cackling a deep, throaty laugh that made my insides swim.

  “Please… we must save Oz. Give me the amulet, and I can help.” I held out my hand, but her eyes did not leave the shiny necklace hanging from my neck. I felt the silver begin to heat up.

  “No, it’s you who will give your amulet to me. They are rightfully mine. Mine!” She held out her hand, demanding the pendant. When I refused, she cursed, stomping a foot on the ground before turning and heading for a bookcase filled with jars, vials, and potions.

  “Please,” I begged, feeling frozen in my chair. I peered at my friends, gasping to find that they’d turned to stone.

  I looked down at my legs. They’d been turned to stone as well. I knew the reason I was not completely encased was because I had the amulet, which protected me against the power of its opposite. This gave me an idea.

  “You want the amulet? Well, grant me one request, and you can have it.”

  This interested Mombi, and she swerved around, holding a bottle of crimson fluid she’d just uncorked.

  “I’m listening, Not Dorothy.” Her snarl iced the blood in my veins as my fear threatened to choke me.

  “Um….” My mind was fuzzy; the cold of the stone in my legs sent jabs of pain up my body. “Release Ozma.”

  She huffed. “I released her a long time ago.”

  “Then show me what’s become of her.”

  She watched me, confusion swimming in her beady eyes. “Why? I don’t care what’s become of the royals. They are all dead. I’m the ruler now.”

  “You want to be the rightful ruler of Oz? Wish for the amulets to show me that Ozma is truly gone.”

  She sighed. It appeared she wanted the amulets badly. “Very well.” She snatched my amulet, snapping the chain as she yanked it off.

  “I wish to be shown what has become of Ozma.” Mombi rolled her eyes as she spoke.

  The amulets lit up, bathing the room in an emerald fire and blinding us both. I felt my skin ignite along the green fire and held back the scream in my throat as my body burned.

  “No! What did you do?” Mombi screamed as the fire enveloped her, ripping the two amulets from her grasp. They shone a brilliant green as the fire fused them together. Mombi’s screeches filled my ears as I struggled to breathe and stay conscious.

  The fire melted her skin. Like water on a witch, she sizzled until her body was nothing but a mere puddle that burned to ashes in the emerald fire. When it was over, I found myself freed from the stone.

  “Dorothy?” S.C. rubbed his head, confused as he looked over at me. “Thea? You’re wearing a crown!”

  I reached up and pricked a finger on the sharp tip of a tiara. Yanking it off, I stared at the silver metal laced with emeralds.

  “Your eyes, Thea! They’re bright green. You’re Princess Ozma’s daughter, aren’t you?”

  “No. I can’t be. I was born on Earth. My mother was Odette.”

  “Odette?” Tin Man frowned. “Odette was Ozma’s middle name.”

  My eyes widened. “My mother… was Princess Ozma?”

  S.C. nodded and stood up, wobbly at first. “You’re the rightful ruler of Oz!”

  I shook my head and scrambled to my feet. “I’m not the ruler of Oz.”

  “The amulets are in your crown now. You used the magic of Oz and the silver shoes to reclaim the throne. By asking Mombi to show you Ozma, you released the curse. Your mother must have been stuck on Earth with Dorothy.”

  “How did that happen?”

  They shrugged. “She visited and was unable to return.”

  It made sense somehow. Stunned, I didn’t know what to say besides one of two things I wanted dearly. I put the crown back on and said, “I wish Oz and the Emerald City were restored.”

  A flash of green fire lit up the windows and everything outside. I looked out to find the city intact and bustling with people.

  “It’s beautiful,” I whispered, tears of joy filling my eyes.

  “Thea, you’re the protector and ruler of Oz.”

  “But I have to return to Kansas.” I thought back to Aunt Emmi, who was going to need help while she healed.

  “You can go back if you want, but not for long. You must always return, or Oz will crumble again,” S.C. said mournfully.

  I nodded, tears spilling down my cheeks. “I promise I’ll return.”

  I was ready for whatever it was going to take to keep Oz thriving. If I had S.C. and Tin Man by my side, I could do anything, right?

  S.C.’s lips quivered. “You swear?”

  I grinned, knowing full well what it meant. “Yes. In Oz, a promise is forever.”

  * * *

  ~END~

  * * *

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Ruins of Oz is a story that’s lingered in the back of my mind for a while. I’m a huge fan of the stories of Oz and always wondered what it would be like if it fell to utter ruin. Enjoying the movie rendition of a darker Oz, Return to Oz, I set out to create another kind of world
that had connected Dorothy, Ozma, and a granddaughter to the magic inside this mysterious world and somehow redeemed the curse they inevitably left behind. Even though 8,000 words is not that big a story to really get into the nitty gritty of the world, I hope you enjoy this glimpse into the beauty of ruined places, especially since it’s all about Oz.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Alexia is a USA Today bestselling author who currently lives in Las Vegas and loves spending every free moment writing or hanging out with her four rambunctious kids. Writing is the ultimate getaway for her since she's always lost in her head. She is best known for her award-winning Reign of Blood series, and A Dark Faerie Tale Series.

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  Alexia's website: www.alexiapurdybooks.com

  A Touch of Gold

  Rachel Morgan

  Playing a part in saving the world made everything that came afterward a little boring in comparison. Which was why, on the day the two strangers appeared on the Floating Island of Kaleidos, sixteen-year-old Tilly was more than ready to pay attention.

  It had been almost a year since a pair of guardians had come in search of her, carrying with them a prophecy and a sword. Almost a year since she’d helped bring an end to Lord Draven’s reign before returning to her normal life. She’d spent every day since then longing for something just as thrilling to happen, and as sad as it sounded, the appearance of two strangers on Kaleidos was as close to thrilling as she was likely to get.

  Kaleidos was suspended in the air above the sea, hidden from view by a layer of magic everyone called the shimmer. Most people in the world were unaware of the island’s existence, so there weren’t many who crossed the shimmer on a daily basis. In fact, Tilly probably came and went more often than anyone else. By unofficial means, of course. It was so much faster to take her brother’s pegasus and fly over the wall encircling the island than to use the route everyone else used. That route involved getting permission from her parents—since she was underage—then going to the Travel Office built into the wall, presenting her permission slip, signing her name in the register, taking a floating boat down to sea level, sailing just beyond the shimmer, and finally using the faerie paths to take her wherever she might want to go. Who had time for that?