The Red Jinn

by Palmer, Mildred L. rtf

  Returning to the dish, he continued his meal. “That’s the way,” encouraged Jinnicky.

  “And I don’t know why you’re afraid…. Look at me—if they drop me, I’ll be smashed to bits—I’ll be positively jarred.“ The Lion cringed only a little bit at Jinnicky’s outrageous pun. “All this talk about dropping and smashing isn’t doing my appetite any good,” he grumbled.

  “I can’t see that it’s hurt it much,” snickered the little Jinn. He sauntered over to the guardsmen to give them their instructions. The Lion rolled his eyes mournfully to watch. Jinnicky’s instructions were accompanied by some expressive hand waving, mostly downward. The Lion shuddered. Quickly he bolted his remaining food and polished the plate with his tongue.

  “Let’s go now,” he begged. ‘‘If I have to wait around here and think about it, I might get nervous.”

  “Oh, no! Not you…!” snickered the little Jinn.

  “Don’t be frightened,” soothed Rory. “It will be over in a minute. We’re almost directly over the Emerald Palace. We’ll drop straight down and be there almost before you know it.“ The Lion winced. “That’s what I’m afraid of,” he shuddered. “You realize, of course, that ‘drop’ is rapidly becoming one of my very least favoritest words. I’d rather go slowly, and…”

  “And give Faleero plenty of warning,“‘broke in Jinnicky helpfully.

  The Lion covered his eyes. “I’d forgotten about Faleero,” he groaned. “Why did you have to remind me? I think I’ll just stay here.”

  “Maybe you’d better,” agreed Dorothy, winking at her companions. “And after Ozma is saved, she can bring you down with the Magic Belt.”

  “Look here!” roared the outraged beast. “If you think I’m going to let you and Jinnicky go without me, and take all the risks while I…” He stopped to glare suspiciously at Dorothy. The little girl’s face was turned away, but her shoulders were shaking. The other three were simply doubled up with laughter.

  The Lion grinned sheepishly. Jinnicky pounded him on the back. “That’s one of the things I like about you,” he declared breathlessly. “You’re so gullible.“ Leaving the Lion to wonder if he should feel complimented or insulted, he turned to the others. “Now this is what we’ll do,” he began briskly. “We’ll go down as fast as we can, and hide the minute we touch ground. I think it’s still too early for Faleero to be up and around, but l don’t want to take chances. Is that clear? Then let’s go!”

  “Goodbye, Taggle,“‘called Dorothy, as Hob caught her up in his arms. The trip to Earth was much too swift to permit conversation. They landed lightly on the Palace grounds, and with a hasty “Goodbye and good luck,” Hob released her and rose straight up, back into the sky.

  Dizzily, Dorothy turned to see how her companions had fared. Rory and the little Jinn were cheerfully unconcerned, but the Lion, after one quick look around, flattened his ears against his head and slunk under a bush.

  “Never again,” he was declaring, when they joined him. “I’ll never leave the Emerald City again, and I will never, never NEVER again even look out of a second story window.”

  “You won’t ever have to fly again,” Dorothy comforted him. “But it was kinda fun, wasn’t it?”

  “FUN!” The Lion gave her a single withering look and flattened himself against the ground with his eyes shut. “I’ll have nightmares for the rest of my life! —if that’s what you mean by fun!”

  “What should we do now?” asked Rory. “I don’t see anyone around.”

  “We’d better get started then,” suggested Jinnicky nervously. “Now much time do you suppose we have?”

  “It can’t be much later than six o’clock,” guessed Dorothy. “If Faleero wakes up at seven she won’t be out ‘til about eight, even if she comes out right after breakfast; and if she gets up at eight, she shouldn’t be out before nine; and if…”

  “And if she gets up at five—and she’s mean enough to do it—she’ll be out here any minute,” broke in the Lion. “Come on; where do we start?”

  “Let’s start up near the Palace before anyone else is up,” proposed Dorothy. “But Jinnicky, how do we know what to look for?”

  “We don’t,” returned the little Jinn placidly. “Just look for something new, something that wasn’t here when Ozma was. Faleero must have changed them into something; else — and if I’m right, they’ll be in the Palace or near it. As wicked and malicious as Faleero is, she wouldn’t be satisfied with merely conquering the kingdom.

  She’d want her enemies to suffer; and how better could she do that than by keeping them where they would be forced to see all her wicked deeds?”

  “That’s right,” agreed the Lion, nodding.

  “You and Dorothy will have to find them. Rory and I wouldn’t know what was here before.”

  “What if they’re in the Palace?” hazarded Rory.

  “That, my boy, is what we’re afraid of,” the Lion told him. “If we don’t find anything on the grounds, we will have to try the Palace itself, and that will be very ticklish work indeed. In any event, Jinnicky will have to stay out of sight. The old fury hates him like poison since he rescued Pumperdink.“ Dorothy was already searching near the Palace. The Lion joined her, and together they went over the grounds thoroughly, gradually working away from the Palace.

  Jinnicky heaved a sigh of relief, once they were far enough away to be screened by the thick bushes. He and Rory hung over their friends, pointing out various objects which might have been overlooked. After nearly two hours of this, Jinnicky sat down on the edge of a small fountain to rest. Taking off his lid, he fanned himself gently.

  At length his attention was attracted by three small fish in the pool which were swimming back and forth in great agitation. Jinnicky watched them admiringly. They were unusually pretty little fish. One was sparkling green, one glowing red and the third was a smooth shiny black. Fish in Oz can talk, but Jinnicky knew that they seldom say anything worth listening to. Still, the kind-hearted little Jinn leaned close to the water’s edge in order to hear anything they might want to tell him. The fish did not speak, but kept swimming frantically back and forth.

  “Be careful, Jinnicky; you’ll fall in,” warned the Lion, while Dorothy regarded him curiously.

  “What in Oz are you doing?”

  “I thought these fish in here had something to tell me,” explained Jinnicky, straightening up again. “I guess they’re just hungry.”

  “They probably are.” Dorothy turned back to her task-then swung around to face him again in great excitement.

  “Did you say fish? In that fountain? We never had fish in there! Let me see them!“ She ran to Jinnicky’s side and dropped to her knees beside the pool. The little green fish darted over to her.

  “Jinnicky!-It’s Ozma!” cried the little girl. “It must be-1 know it is…!“ The Lion came up beside her. “I believe you’re right,” he agreed.

  “The green one is Ozma, the red one Glinda, and…”

  “And the black one is the Wizard!” finished Jinnicky jubilantly.

  “Change them back quickly!” begged Dorothy, catching his hand imploringly.

  “Oh, please, Jinnicky, hurry…!

  “Just as quickly as I can,” promised the little Jinn. He took the cart from his sleeve and regarded it thoughtfully. “Now I just wonder…“ A growl from the Lion silenced him. “Someone’s coming,” whispered the big beast. “Hide quickly!”

  CHAPTER XIX

  OZMA IS RESTORED

  All four dived headlong into the bushes beside the fountain. A step sounded on the path and a girl came into sight. Rory had never in his life seen anyone so beautiful. He looked at his companions, wondering if they could possibly be afraid of such a lovely girl. Dorothy and the Lion were watching her grimly, while Jinnicky was staring in frank amazement.

  “It’s incredible,” he muttered. “No-one could tell her from Ozma.”

  “Sh-h-h…” warned the Lion. He reached out a great paw and drew Rory down beside
him. “Don’t make a sound. That’s Faleero.“ Faleero sat down on the edge of the fountain and smiled mockingly at the three fishes. “Good morning, my little friends,” she greeted them. “I have great news for you today:

  “As you know, I declared war on the Winkie country several days ago. Last night the Tin Woodman arrived at the Palace. He was very excited, for he didn’t know what it was all about.” The smile grew ugly. “He knows now—he is in the already crowded prison.

  “Really, I think I shall have to turn the animals out of the Royal Stables to make more prison space. You can’t imagine how crowded the prison I built has become already. I’m glad I sent your friends away. There is absolutely no room in the prison for them. But I have saved one place for your friend, Dorothy. Won’t she be surprised when she gets back?“ Faleero rose with a cruel laugh, and sauntered back down the path toward the Palace. As soon as she was out of sight, Dorothy ran to the pool. The three fish swam eagerly to meet her.

  “Don’t worry,” she whispered tenderly. “Jinnicky is here, and he’ll save you.”

  “Take them out of the water, Dorothy,” instructed Jinnicky. “I’ll see what I can do.“ The fish willingly swam into Dorothy’s hands. She lifted them carefully and held them out to Jinnicky. “I’ll have to work fast,” muttered the little Jinn. “They can’t stay out of water long.” Frowning, he selected a small bottle and sprinkled a golden powder over the fish. They stiffened convulsively and lay still Dorothy lifted frightened eyes to Jinnicky’s face. He smiled reassuringly, took the fish from her and wrapped them in his handkerchief.

  Then he made a tiny fire of dry leaves and twigs and laid the handkerchief on the fire.

  The Lion gulped. “Are you.. are you quite sure you know what you’re doing?” he asked huskily. Jinnicky nodded impatiently, his eyes on the fire. The handkerchief began to smolder. All at once it burst into flames. Involuntarily, Dorothy closed her eyes. When she opened them, the lovely little Ruler of all Oz stood before her. The Wizard was shaking Jinnicky’s hand, while Glinda looked on smilingly.

  “How can we ever thank you?”’ cried Ozma, as she hugged first Dorothy, then the Lion, and last of all, Jinnicky.

  “Jinnicky did it,” answered the little girl, clinging lovingly to her friend.

  Jinnicky, red with mingled pride and embarrassment at Ozma’s greeting, disclaimed all credit. “It was Dorothy and the Lion,” he insisted. “They were the ones who knew you were gone.”

  “It was all three of you,” declared Glinda, coming forward to greet them. “And this boy—who is he?“ Rory was hanging back shyly, but now Dorothy tock his hand and introduced him to her friends. Their friendliness quickly put him at ease.

  “Cumuland… I remember that country very well,” mused Glinda. “We used to be very friendly some years ago, but suddenly it disappeared, and I have not heard of it since.”

  “That was Gip’s doing,” explained Rory. “He forbade any dealings with other countries, and moved the kingdom to the outermost edge of Fairyland. Now that I am King, I hope that your country and mine can be friends again.”

  “Indeed they can,” returned Glinda heartily. “I’ll be glad to see the Cumulanders again.“ The Wizard coughed politely. “Hadn’t we better discuss plans to overcome Faleero and get this country back to normal again?”

  “I suppose so,” returned Ozma reluctantly. “I’m almost ashamed to face my people again after what Faleero has done to them in my name.”

  “Well, you couldn’t help it,” declared Dorothy. “And as soon as everybody finds out what really happened, they’ll love you more than ever.”

  “But what must they think of me now?” mourned Ozma.

  “I don’t know,” returned Dorothy. “I only stayed one day with you—with Faleero, that is. She wasn’t so very bad then— she was trying to be nice, I guess, but she didn’t know how,” she finished with a laugh.

  “She stopped even trying before long,” sighed Glinda. “As soon as she found out how to use the Magic Belt, she ordered all Ozma’s friends from the Palace and set everyone to work.”

  “Why didn’t you tell anyone who you were?” asked the Lion. “There must have been somebody around once in a while.”

  “We couldn’t talk,” explained the Wizard. “That was very clever of Faleero, I must admit. No one ever expects a fish to have much to say, so no one thought it odd that we didn’t speak.“ A sound in the air above them made them raise their heads. A chariot, drawn by six snow-white swans, flashed over them, headed toward the Palace. Glinda looked very angry.

  “That must be Falingo in your swan chariot, Glinda,” ventured Dorothy timidly.

  She was a little afraid of the powerful Sorceress when she looked so stern. “Perhaps, if we go to the Palace now, we can conquer them all at once.“ Glinda smiled at the little girl’s confidence, but Jinnicky nodded gravely. “It will save time if we take them all together,” he agreed.

  “But we’d better have a plan of action.” He and the Wizard walked a short distance away, conferring in low tones. After a while they rejoined the others.

  “Jinnicky and I think…” began the Wizard, but he never finished.

  “Listen!” ordered the Lion, who for some time had been turning his head uneasily from side to side. A confused muttering came from the direction of the Palace. Quickly this swelled into a roar of anger, and above it they could hear Faleero’s voice in shrill angry tones.

  “What do you think it can be?” exclaimed Dorothy, looking apprehensively at her friends.

  “It sounds like an uprising!” exclaimed Jinnicky. “Let’s go find out!”

  CHAPTER XX

  REBELLION IN THE EMERALD CITY

  After a long and arduous journey, Betsy, Trot and Cap’n Bill arrived at Glinda’s palace. The supposed Glinda greeted them cordially. “Oh, Glinda!” cried Trot immediately. “Something awful has happened to Ozma. She’s gone and somebody has taken her place.“ Falingo turned white. “How do you know?” she stammered. Luckily for her, no one noticed her confusion.

  “She’s been so queer—so cross,” explained Trot. “Then, the day we left, she slapped me, so I knew right away.“ By now Falingo had recovered her composure. “Nonsense,” she scoffed. “Perhaps you made her angry.”

  “Ozma wouldn’t get angry at me,” returned Trot proudly. “And even if she did, she would never slap me. Besides, she’s made a lot of new laws about no parties or games, and she’s turned everyone out of the Palace.“ Falingo pondered for a moment. “Suppose you tell me all about it,” she suggested finally. “I don’t think it’s possible that anyone could look enough like Ozma to deceive all her friends, but I’ll admit that what you tell me doesn’t sound at all like Ozma.“ Unsuspectingly they poured out the whole tale. Falingo pretended to be sceptical at first; but gradually she allowed herself to be convinced.

  “You were very clever to find her out,” she commented at the end of the story.

  “We should have known it long ago,” replied Trot disgustedly. “But it never occurred to me until she slapped me.”

  “She really struck you?”

  “She certainly did,” answered the child, rubbing her cheek reflectively. “You know Ozma would never do that.”

  “No, I don’t suppose she would,” murmured Falingo absently. Then at Trot’s surprised stare, she added hastily, “No, no, of course not.”

  “What are you going to do to her?” broke in Cap’ n Bill.

  “Who do you suppose it is?” asked Betsy.

  “I’ll have to find out,” smiled Falingo. “Perhaps the Book of Records will help me.

  As for punishing her, I shall consider the matter very carefully before I decide.”

  “She must be a very wicked person,” declared Trot decidedly. “She should be punished very severely.”

  “But first make her tell us what she did to Ozma,” advised Betsy. “That’s more important. Ozma can decide what should be done with her.“ Trot and Cap’n Bill agreed heartily with
this. Falingo rose. “You must be tired now,” she said. “Rest tonight, and tomorrow we will go to the Emerald City. I must leave you now, and study the Book of Records to find out how to undo this mischief.” She smiled and pressed a button. A maid appeared in the doorway. “Coral, see that my guests are fed and given a place to sleep,” ordered Falingo. Still smiling, she left the room. Coral brought them food and waited until they had eaten. Then she led the little girls to a room, and gave Cap’n Bill the room next door. Too tired to talk, and sure that their troubles were at an end, all three slept soundly until morning.

  The next morning they eagerly questioned Falingo. “You were right,” she told them. “I have learned that Ozma has indeed disappeared, and a Gillikin fairy named Faleero is impersonating her.”

  “Faleero!” exclaimed all three.

  “Yes; do you know her?”