Taggle turned on them fiercely. “He’s been locked for a year in a room with barely enough room to lie down. There’s nothing wrong that exercise and good food won’t cure.”
Hob brushed past, caught the boy in his arms, and soared lightly up the stairs, Taggle following closely. Jac brought Dorothy, and four nervous soldiers carried the equally nervous Lion.
In the hall above stood a throng of men and women, waiting to see their long lost King. Forewarned by Hob, they repressed their inclination to shout, and called out their greetings and good wishes in whispers. All followed him down the long corridor to the throne.
At the door they met the remainder of the guard, with Boag at their head. He bowed low as Rory approached, and signalled to the footman, who threw open the door and announced:
“His Majesty, Rory of Cumuland!”
CHAPTER XVII
JINNICKY TO THE RESCUE
Dorothy had a fleeting glimpse of heads turning in startled wonder at the footman’s words. Then her attention was caught by Gip, who rose from his throne, his face pale with mingled fear and anger. “What is the meaning of this?” he demanded.
“Seize that impostor! Rory stopped midway to the throne. “I am no impostor,” he cried. “I am the rightful King of Cumuland, betrayed and imprisoned by you, my own uncle!“ A shout went up from the courtiers at his words. As Rory moved on towards the throne, they followed, cheering, only to be brought to a stop by Gip’s upraised sceptor.
Rory, protected by his magic ring, continued to advance; and Taggle, who was touching the boy’s sleeve was also shielded. Seeing this, Dorothy, who likewise had not been affected, caught the Lion’s mane and urged him forward.
Waving his scepter, Gip shouted five magic words. Instantly there sprang up before them an enormous dragon, with flames shooting from its nostrils.
Rory seized a sword from one of the helpless guardsmen and plunged at the monster. A blast of the fiery breath enveloped him and sent him reeling backwards against Taggle—who, at his touch, regained power of motion and began frantically to brush the sparks from the boy’s clothing.
Dorothy snatched the Jinn’s cart from her pocket. Seizing a bottle at random, she uncorked it and hurled it at the dragon. The only effect of this was to enrage the beast further and fix its attention upon her. Opening its horned jaws, it advanced straight for her. Desperately the child fumbled in the cart.
The Lion pulled away from her to charge at the monster, and at once came under the spell of the magic scepter and was powerless to move. Dorothy jerked a pink jug from the cart and tried vainly to open it. The dragon was almost upon her. “Oh, I wish Jinnicky were here!” she wailed, as the jug slipped from her fingers and shattered upon the floor.
And suddenly—so suddenly that even the dragon fell back in surprise—Jinnicky was there!
He took in the situation at a glance; he snatched the little cart and selected a bottle. As the dragon once more advanced to seize them, he flung the entire contents straight down the blazing throat. Bellowing in pain and fright, the monster backed away.
Seventeen pink glass windows were shattered to bits by the creature’s roars. Great clouds of smoke poured from the dragon’s mouth and nostrils, and when they cleared away, the monster lay lifeless upon the floor.
“Mercy!” gasped Jinnicky, mopping his forehead. “That was certainly close. Now what?” But no one could tell him; for with the loss of the magic cart. Dorothy too was paralyzed by the power of the scepter, while Gip, Rory and Taggle were paralyzed by the sudden appearance of the Jinn. Rory was the first to recover; springing forward purposefully, he snatched the scepter from Gip.
The false King, suddenly deposed, and knowing himself helpless against the greater power of the Jinn, sprang from the throne and flung himself through one of the broken windows in a desperate attempt to escape. Hob hurtled af ter him, followed by a grim Boag and ten guardsmen.
Dorothy and the Lion flung themselves rapturously upon
Jinnicky. “Gently—take it easy…” puffed the little Jinn, his round, red face wreathed in smiles. “Don’t break the poor old man into pieces. Mercy me, but I’m glad to see you. I’ve been looking for you for days. Where are we, and who are all these people? Mercy me, they all have wings!“ Quickly Dorothy introduced Rory, Taggle and as many of the others as she knew.
They were all overjoyed at Jinnicky’s opportune arrival, and crowded around, offering their thanks and congratulations.
Suddenly Taggle swept Rory up and lifted him to the throne. The young King’s subjects broke into wild cheers which almost shattered the remaining windows. Abashed, and conscious of his rags, Rory tried to slip down, but this the crowd refused to permit.
At length he held up his hands and waited for silence. When the cheering finally stopped, he thanked the Jinn for his timely rescue and his subjects for their reception of him. “And now,” he finished, “after I am dressed properly, we shall have a feast in honor of our royal guests.”
Later, bathed and dressed — and properly hungry—Dorothy and her friends sat down to a feast more elaborate than any they had ever attended. Rory, in fresh clothing, with his long hair trimmed, looked every inch a king. It was a merry meal, and at its height, Hob, Boag and the guardsmen returned with Gip. The false Monarch was bound hand and foot.
“What shall we do with him, your Majesty?” asked Boag.
Rory looked evenly at Gip, then around the table indecisively. His glance fell on the little Jinn, who beamed at him encouragingly. He rose and approached his uncle. “I cannot treat you as you have treated me,” he said slowly, “for such would be cruelty; and there will be no more cruelty in Cumuland. Still, I cannot give you your freedom in your present form because you would continue to plot against me. Therefore, I shall ask our guest, the Red Jinn, to change you into something small and harmless, and let you go.”
“I’d be delighted, my boy!” exclaimed Jinnicky, rubbing his hands together brisky. “What would you suggest that I change him to?“ Rory looked troubled. “Whatever you think is best,” he answered soberly. “I don’t want him to be unhappy.“ Jinnicky’s brow furrowed in deep thought for a moment; then his face cleared.
Seizing a bottle, he poured three drops on Gip’s head. Instantly the prisoner was prone; in his place there lay a small pink bat. Jinnicky cut the cords that still bound it, and the bat swooped through the window and was quickly out of sight.
“I didn’t want to deprive him of his wings,” explained the kind-hearted little Jinn, as he resumed his seat.
Dorothy, from her place of honor beside Rory, leaned across the table toward
Jinnicky. “You still haven’t told us how you got here,” she reminded him.
“I haven’t the faintest idea,” he admitted, with a shrug. “One moment I was wandering through a field, looking for you, and the next I was beside you—and almost in a dragon’s mouth!” he finished with a shudder.
“Could the pink jug have had anything to do with it?” suggested Taggle.
“Pink jug?” Jinnicky bounced in his chair. “Did you open it?”
“I was going to throw it at the dragon,” explained Dorothy, “but I dropped it…”
“You dropped it as you were wishing Jinnicky were here,” broke in Rory excitedly.
“I certainly did!” agreed Dorothy.
“That was my new, triple-action, double-distilled, wishing elixir,” exclaimed the Jinn. “I’ve never had a chance to try it out; I’m mighty glad it worked.”
“So am I,” rumbled the Lion, with a heartfelt sigh.
“So are we all,” Taggle finished for the rest of them. “But tell us, please, how did you overcome the dragon? Was that a poison you used?”
“Poison? Oh, my dear sir!” The little Jinn was genuinely shocked. “Let me inform you that I do not deal in poisons.“ Seeing that Taggle was extremely penitent and embarrassed, he smiled benignly then, and continued more mildly. “Since the dragon, as you all know, cannot exist without its
fire, I used my own invention—a very potent fire extinguisher. I extinguished the dragon!”
“How will you get it out of the Throne Room?” asked Dorothy, feeling sorry for Taggle, and anxious to change the subject.
“That’s all been taken care of,” returned Rory. “The guardsmen hauled it away and disposed of it.“ Taggle, wishing to atone for his horrible blunder, leaned forward nervously, and caught Dorothy’s eye. “I know you are all anxious to get back to Oz and save your Queen, but won’t you stay for the coronation this evening?”
“Oh, yes, please do!” chimed in Rory. “I’ll have some of the guard carry you to Oz the first thing in the morning.“ Dorothy hesitated. She was very anxious to get back to the Emerald City, but she hated to disappoint Rory. The Jinn settled the matter for her. “My red magic works best in the morning,” he declared,‘‘and it would be a pity to have any of Rory’s subjects miss the coronation on our account. We’ll stay with you tonight.” This having been arranged, Rory took his guests for a tour of the palace and grounds. The Jinn was especially delighted with the palace grounds. He picked up a handful of soil. “It looks just like foam or soap suds,” he marveled.
“It’s solidified cloud,” returned Rory carelessly. Dorothy was startled. “Do you mean this country is a cloud?” she asked.
“Of course. It’s just like any other cloud, except that this one is solid.”
“What makes it pink?” inquired the little girl.
“Oh, that’s because we’re high enough to get the pink rays from the sun,“ explained Rory.
The little Jinn stirred uneasily. “Do you just float where the wind takes you, or do you have means of directing it?”
“We can direct it when we wish. Most of the time we just float freely, but we can go to any place we want. Today I gave orders to head for the Emerald City. We should be directly over it by morning.”
“That’s fine.” Jinnicky gave a satisfied sniff. The Lion gulped, feeling rather seasick. The idea of floating aimlessly about the sky made his feet hurt, he commented sadly. “Do-do you ever run into anything?” he added hollowly.
“Only other clouds,” laughed Rory, patting the big head reassuringly.
“Can you raise and lower he country?” asked Dorothy.
“No, we stay at the same height always,” replied Rory. “There is no mechanism employed in moving the country; we can’t move at all unless the wind blows. Right now, we’re tacking against it.“ The Lion, who knew nothing about sailing, was not particularly comforted by this explanation, but the Jinn nodded wisely. Dorothy’s attention was caught by a group of children playing tag some twenty feet off the ground. They darted and swooped, banked and somersaulted like a flock of swallows. The Jinn, seeing Rory’s eyes following them wistfully, suggested kindly, “Why don’t you join them? We would enjoy watching you.”
Rory shook his head. “I can’t fly any more.”
“Can’t fly?” blustered Jinnicky. “Why not? You have just as good set of wings as any of them, haven’t you?”
“Not any more,” returned Rory bitterly. “Once I was the best flier in Cumuland, but now my wings won’t even hold me up.”
“You see,” put in Dorothy anxiously, “he was locked up for such a long time in such a small place that he couldn’t exercise his wings at all, and they stopped working.“ The little Jinn’s merry face sobered. Carefully he examined the useless wings.
“There’s nothing wrong here that time and exercise wouldn’t cure,” he reported. “Still, there’s nothing to he gained by waiting when we have the remedy right here. My Renovating Powder will fix up anything as good as new.” He sprinkled a silver powder on the wings, thought a moment, and added a pinch more to each. “Now try it,” he urged.
Trembling with eagerness, Rory stood on his toes and stretched his wings wide. With a rush he was off, his strong pinions beating the air.
Higher and higher he soared, until he was almost lost from sight. Then he folded his wings and fell like a stone. Dorothy screamed, covering her eyes; and even Jinnicky looked worried. Ten feet from the ground, Rory checked his fall and darted off to join the other children. Under and over and around them he flew, up and down, forward and backward, while heads popped from the castle windows and the people cried to one another that the King could fly again—and better than ever before!
“It was that extra pinch that I added,” chuckled Jinnicky. “A King should always excel his subjects in everything.“ Then the Jinn hastily grabbed for his lid. Rory was swooping in to a landing next to them, and the blast of wind from his wings quite threatened to blow it away. Dorothy’s skirts flapped wildly for a moment as the young King came to a stop. He was flushed with pride and happiness.
“It wonderful,” he cried. “I don’t know how to thank you.”
“Then don’t try,” blustered the little Jinn, his ears growing red. “Don’t try—what fun would it be to have magic if you couldn’t use it to help your friends?“ After supper, Rory took his leave to go in and prepare for the great event. A little maid took Dorothy to the room which she would occupy. There she bathed and dressed in a pink frock. Two of the castle servants brushed and curried the Lion, while another polished Jinnicky to a high gloss.
Presently they were escorted to the Throne Room where they found Rory, looking nervous and very handsome in his magnificent state robes. The Throne Room was filled to capacity with men, women and children. Some of the women were even holding tiny babies, and Dorothy thought she had never seen anything so cunning as the babies with their tiny wings. A cheer went up as the three friends entered the room and were led to the place of honor beside Rory’s throne. The actual ceremony was very short, ending when the crown was placed on the young Monarch’s head. He made a short speech of acceptance, which was entirely drowned out by cheers.
Then he hung his crown on the back of the throne and slid down to join in the celebration. The singing and dancing was at its height when Dorothy approached Rory. “I think I’d better get some sleep if we’re to leave early.”
“Me too,” added Jinnicky. “We’ll need clear heads tomorrow.“ Rory wished them a good night and regretfully watched their departure. “I wish I could go with them,” he mourned. “I bet it will be exciting.“ Taggle, standing at his side, laughed. “You’re the King now, you know—who can stop you from going where you choose?”
“Oh, Taggle!” gasped Rory. “May I really go?”
“Don’t ask me…” chuckled the old Counselor. “Go ahead if you want to; I think a vacation might be good for you.”
“Well, in that case, I’d better get some sleep,” announced Rory proudly. “We’ll need clear heads tomorrow.”
CHAPTER XVIII
DOWN TO EARTH
The next morning, when Dorothy and Jinnicky entered the breakfast room, they found Rory and Taggle awaiting them. The Lion was already there, busily at work on his third serving of breakfast.
“I’m going with you,” exclaimed Rory happily. “That is, if you want me.”
“Want you? —of course we want you,” blustered Jinnicky; and Dorothy cried,
“Oh, that’s wonderful—but Rory, it might be dangerous.”
“My magic ring will protect me,” answered the young King calmly. “Besides, you saved my kingdom for me, and I intend to help you as much as I can.“ Taggle looked on with a pleased smile. The Lion eyed him.“Can you come too?“ he asked hopefully.
“Oh, yes; Taggle, please do!” begged Dorothy excitedly.
Taggle shook his head. “I’m getting too old for such exciting adventures,” he replied. “Anyway, I must remain here and take care of Rory’s kingdom for him in his absence.“ Hob and Boag entered the room, followed by five guardsmen. They approached and saluted. “We are ready when you are, your Majesty,” announced Boag.
“We’ll be with you in a minute.” Rory dismissed them with a wave of his hand, and turned proudly to Dorothy. “My very first law was that everyone should salute me instead of bowing.
It’s much more military looking, don’t you think?” Dorothy and Jinnicky nodded gravely.
The Jinn turned to the Lion. “Aren’t you through eating, yet?” he asked teasingly.
“If you eat much more, these good people won’t be able to carry you; they’ll probably drop you on the way down.” The Lion gulped, backed away from the plate and cast an apprehensive eye toward the tall windows.
“Stop scaring him,” scolded Dorothy. She patted the Lion’s broad head. “Go on and eat. They won’t drop you—you can eat all you want.”
“I… I don’t think I want any more,” faltered the Lion uneasily, with a longing glance at the still heaping dish.
“I was only fooling,” coaxed the little Jinn. “Eat it up.“ The Lion wavered uncertainly, but presently his appetite overcame his fears.
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