Dorothy In the Land of Monsters

by Garten Gevedon

  “If even Oz himself will admit he would need to gather his power from all the lands to still not do what you can do, you must be a very powerful witch,” she says in awe and perhaps excited for me.

  “Must be.”

  What do I say to that? There is no denying I have power inside me that comes out in the form of rainbow light. If that means I’m a sorceress, I am a sorceress. Would I be without these boots? Doubtful. I have always had those colors inside me though. Grief and loneliness shrouded them for years, and I craved them every second of every day. My mistake was believing I’d find them outside myself. They were always there, waiting for me to shine them again. And maybe, thanks to the boots and being in the magical realm, those colors come out in variegated arcs of vibrant light and pure force.

  Jellia leads me to the plunge pool and cleans the mud off me before bringing me through the whole rigamarole again. This time she doesn’t put makeup on me though, and she does my hair into two pigtail braids saying they will keep my hair neat on the journey. The problem is that I look like a little kid. I don’t want to hurt her feelings though, so I’ll take them out after we leave.

  We go back to the bedroom to dress and she pulls out a pair of pants that button up the sides of the legs and hands them to me.

  “I made them for you. These too,” she says and takes out several matching pairs of bras and panties. “Choose what you will wear today, and I will add the remaining garments to your luggage.”

  “Thank you, Jellia. These are beautiful. You have a real talent.”

  “I like the style very much, and so does my husband,” she says and giggles.

  I put on a fitted green Henley and the button up forest green pants she’s made. They work well with my boots, and the fit is impressive.

  We go out into the living room area as the doorstone chimes.

  “Come in,” I say.

  The door slides open and Ardie walks in.

  “Hi,” I say as he comes in and kisses my cheek hello.

  “Are you ready for our journey?”

  “I’m packed if that’s what you mean. Am I ready to murder someone though? I doubt it.”

  “She is evil, Dorothy. It is what’s best for the lands of Oz.”

  “Pardon me,” Jellia says and goes.

  “What about you? Are you ready? Did you say goodbye to your new girlfriend?” I tease.

  “I did,” he says and smirks at me.

  “You’ve been spending every second of your time with her,” I say with a grin I can’t help.

  His brows shoot up and he says, “And you have been spending every second of your time with the heartless Axeman.”

  “I have.”

  “Has he grown a heart?”

  “No, but I know what it is, Ardie. He’s made himself clear. We’re friends and…” I stop and sigh.

  “I need no explanation,” he says throwing up his hands.

  “Good.”

  “But you love him,” he says as if he knows, and he’s right but…

  “I’m leaving anyhow. I suppose it’s that I am taking what I can get.”

  “He is using you, Dorothy.”

  “What do I care? I’ll be in Kansas soon enough. What does it matter if he is?”

  “Don’t you have any sense of pride?”

  “Not with him. It’s not like I’m advertising my feelings either. So, I’m in love with him. So what? It makes no difference. I’m leaving. If I focus on my pride, I will regret it. I’d rather take full advantage of the time I have with him, so perhaps I am using him too. I know he doesn’t feel the same. He’s made himself clear. I don’t seem to care.”

  It’s true. I know he doesn’t feel the same and I’m still hooking up with him. If anyone is taking advantage of anyone, it’s me taking advantage of the fact that chance forced Nick and I together in this strange situation. So who is using who?

  “It is your choice to make,” he shrugs.

  “It is, but so you know, he has not given me the impression he loves me, nor has he lied to me. In fact, he is a complete gentleman. He has asked me if I can handle it and I said yes. I can handle it. He doesn’t know how I feel, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

  “It is obvious. The entire palace is talking about you two going around kissing. They think you are newlyweds!”

  “Ha! Well, we’re far from it. He’ll return a bachelor, on the market for all the single young women to pursue, and I’ll return to Kansas where I belong.”

  “Are you sad to go?”

  “I am. I’ll miss you so much, but I can’t live here. There is no place for me here and I wouldn’t want to be a burden to any of you,” I sigh.

  The doorstone chimes before it opens to reveal Nick and the Werelion together. When they enter, Nick stops short upon seeing me and chuckles. Ugh. It’s the braids. I know it is.

  “I know, I look stupid,” I say blushing and he stifles a laugh.

  “You look lovely,” he lies.

  “I look like a seven-year-old.”

  “Your body doesn’t,” he smirks.

  “She said my hair would stay neat like this. I’m taking it out when we leave. I don’t want to hurt her feelings,” I humph.

  “Did you pack extra undergarments, little one?”

  “Yes and don’t call me that.”

  “Did you notice the power surge?” Werelion asks, his cat eyes wide. “I heard screaming.”

  “It was only for a quick moment. I almost didn’t even notice,” Ardie says.

  “That was me.”

  “What?” Nick asks, a stern expression hardening his features.

  “Yup. I did that. Sucked his power right out of the walls.”

  “Why?” Ardie gasps.

  “Because he tried to steal mine first,” I say and seethe at the memory.

  “Explain,” Nick says, already fuming.

  I tell them the entire story, everything he said, and while Nick’s jaw clenches and Werelion trembles with worry, Ardie looks puzzled.

  “So, it was a good thing because now you have realized your full potential and everything else you need, the three of us possess,” he says like everything is hunky-dory.

  “Right,” I say and let out a light laugh. Not for a single second do I buy that line.

  “M-m-maybe w-we sh-shouldn’t g-go,” Werelion stutters, hugging the tip of his tail to his chest.

  “Why not?” Ardie asks, astonished.

  “It could be a trap,” Werelion says, growing even more alarmed as he speaks the words aloud.

  “It is not a trap. The Wizard has asked this of us because he requires a price and we have the strength to do it. Us, together, we can save this land from a plague! It is an honor the wizard chose us to do a wonderful thing for the entire land. We must go to Winkie Land, search for the Vampire Witch, and destroy her,” Ardie says, very sure of himself.

  “Suppose we fail,” Werelion squeaks out.

  “Then I shall always be a zombie.”

  “And I shall always be a coward.”

  “And I shall always be a heartless killer of vampires either way,” says Nick, “but Dorothy would have to stay here and that is not an option. We must prevail, trap or not.”

  “Why will you always be heartless either way?” Ardie asks. “I thought that was the point of you coming to the City of Emeralds.”

  “Have you noticed they have no military presence? No protection for the city at all?”

  “There is a treaty—” Ardie starts but Nick interrupts.

  “With the Vampire Witch who we are about to assassinate. When she’s gone, the city is fair game,” Nick says and scoffs.

  “The Wizard will stop them,” Ardie says.

  “We’ll see about that.”

  “We will.”

  “If he’s so powerful wouldn’t he have done something about them. He has done nothing,” Nick points out.

  “He protected the City of Emeralds,” Ardie says. “You heard what he said to Dorothy—”
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  “And what about the rest of this country? This realm? The Witch of the North is out slaying them while the Witch of the South is protecting Quadling as best she can. But the Wizard does not protect all of Emerald. He only protects the city, and that is because of a treaty—a deal he made with the evilest creatures in these lands. The Wizard made deals with the Vampire Witches of the East and West to protect only the city he lives in. Why?” Nick challenges.

  “I’m sure he has his reasons.”

  “And what was this deal? What did they exchange? Does anyone even know?”

  “I do not,” the Werelion says.

  “You turned yourself into a zombie and you turned yourself into a werebeast to protect yourselves. What has Oz done for anyone else other than the people in his immediate surroundings? How powerful could he be?” Nick says, and it makes me wonder. He’s right. You don’t make deals with terrorists. He did. What’s up with that? If the Wizard makes deals with Vampire Witches and I killed one of them, perhaps I am being sent to slaughter for what I did.

  “He has the power to show you the future, to carry you through the cosmos—” Ardie starts, but Nick cuts him off.

  “That could have been an illusion,” Nick says, but Ardie has a point if it wasn’t.

  “Oz told me he could gather all his power throughout the land and he still wouldn’t have as much power as these boots. What does that tell you?” I remind him and his lips press together in consternation. There’s not much to say to that.

  “As much power as the boots, or as you?” Werelion asks, his furry nose scrunched in confusion.

  “Same thing,” I say.

  “That is not so. You are not your boots,” Ardie says.

  “Dorothy had no magic when she came here,” Nick says, baffled. “She is from the Civilized Realm where true magic does not exist. The boots have the magic of a Vampire Witch that has latched onto her and controls her at its will. The boots are drawing in magic from the ground, the walls, the sky, Oz himself, and he is using it to get what he wants. But our Dorothy is the person is in those boots. If he can take them off, send her to Kansas where she’ll be safe, and this is the only way, we have to try. Trap or not.”

  “If he has a deal with her, and I killed the other Vampire Witch, this could be a setup,” I say. We need to consider this—it may not be worth it. I’m only one person and this is a lot to sacrifice for my sake alone.

  “Yes, but we still must try,” Nick says, and I sigh. I need this far more than they do. How can I ask this of them?

  “Do we though?” I say.

  “Yes, we do,” Nick insists, his jaw ticking in frustration.

  “If we could get the boots off another way, Dorothy could stay and be safe,” Werelion suggests.

  “Oz says he will take them off when the task is complete. No one would cross him and remove them now. You do not question Oz. Not for any reason. Everyone knows that,” Ardie says.

  “That’s not the way to think,” I blurt. I wanted to stay out of this one, but my mouth moves before my head gets a say these days.

  “What?” Ardie says surprised by my words.

  “If you can’t question your authorities, you’ve got an autocracy on your hands.”

  “Oz is the most powerful wizard in the realm and we consider it disrespectful to question him.”

  “In my realm there is a saying—Absolute power corrupts absolutely. Believe me, you do not want to live in an autocracy.”

  “I do not know this word—autocracy,” Nick says.

  “It’s a system of government where one person who no one questions holds absolute power.”

  “That is Oz,” Nick says.

  “That needs to change.”

  “There is no law against questioning the Wizard, but no one dares disrespect him for fear of his wrath,” the Werelion explains.

  “Wow, that sucks,” I say, disgusted.

  “Sucks?” Ardie asks confused.

  “It means sucks… you know,” Nick says and points to the part in question. Ardie’s eyes widen in shock.

  “It does?”

  “It does,” I say and chuckle.

  “By bread and salt, Dorothy! In this realm, we consider that crass,” Ardie scolds and I giggle at his prudish indignation.

  “It’s a typical expression in my realm.”

  “Oh my! Well, that is shocking to hear.”

  “Let’s focus. How do we get to the Land of the Winkles?”

  “Winkies,” Nick corrects with a laugh.

  “Winkies,” I repeat with a snort. “And I’m the crass one. You got a whole country named after them. What for? Is it shaped like one on the map or something?”

  “What?” Ardie says, confused, as Nick groans and I titter at my own dumb joke. Werelion giggles along with me but Ardie still looks stumped.

  “We do not have a map. I looked for one, asked everyone. There are no maps. The only map in this city is a map of this city. Useless. So no map,” Ardie shrugs.

  “Do any of you guys know where we’re going?”

  “Yes,” Ardie says. “Sort of.”

  “Ha! That’s great,” I say with a snort of sarcastic amusement.

  The doorstone chimes and the door slides open to reveal Jellia and the Guardian of the Gate.

  “Time for you to leave this city. Gather your things and come along,” the Guardian says.

  “Aren’t you just a ray of sunshine?” I say with a narrow-eyed smirk.

  “Abominable,” Ardie huffs.

  “Pick it up and get out. Hop to it,” says the Guardian, waving us on with an impatient grunt.

  “Shut your trap, twinkles. We’ll go when we’re good and ready,” I say and turn to Ardie. “Let gather our things. No need to rush.”

  “Yes, let us,” Ardie says, and we each grab our backpacks and hoist them onto our backs.

  The heaviest pack we strap to Werelion’s back. Filled with enough water and food for a month, it’s more like a large trunk.

  “Is that too heavy, Werelion?” I ask, very concerned.

  “No, not in the slightest. It is not heavy at all.”

  “He is as large as a house. Why could he not carry a trunk?” the Guardian chortles.

  “Yeah, he’s as large as a house and yet you still run your mouth. Do I need to shut it for you?” I say, and Jellia stifles a giggle. When the Guardian turns his glare on her, she straightens up.

  “The Wizard does not want you here. That means you are no longer welcome,” he says, his words slow and drawn out as if we’re morons who couldn’t understand him otherwise. “It is time for you to go. Make haste,” he says clapping at us like we’re animals, and I lose it.

  With a flick of my wrist, my rainbow light flies across the room, hits him right in the mouth, and hovers over his lips like a muzzle.

  “I warned you,” I say, and he steps toward me, pointing his staff. Another flick of my wrist and his staff is my hand in a blink. “Enough is enough. Stand there, shut your pie hole, and let us gather our things in peace. When we leave, if you’ve behaved yourself, I will give you back your voice and your staff.”

  While he fumes, I turn to Ardie and pass him the staff, gather the last of our things, and with Toto in tow, we leave the suite. The Guardian seethes with anger as we get into the magical elevator and he dials in our destination. When the emerald door slides closed, the emerald and copper box takes off. After a few careening twists and turns that make Werelion whimper, the doors open into a small emerald space that looks a lot like solitary confinement. The Guardian steps out into the windowless room and Jellia follows.

  “What is this?” Nick asks, very wary.

  “It is fine,” Jellia says with a reassuring smile. She’s always been very sincere so I nod to the others, and when we step out of the elevator into the hexagonal room, the door slides closed behind us.

  The Guardian places his hand on the bare wall before him and a large cavern appears. With an expectant glare he holds out his hand for his
staff. After a deep sigh, I remove his muzzle with a wave my hand.

  “I despise witches,” he spits, and rubs his mouth clean.

  “Witches despise you right back, crotchety old sourpuss.”

  “Staff,” he demands, his arm still proffered.

  As I pick up Toto, Ardie hands the Guardian his staff.

  “Spectacles,” he says, holding out his other hand. We all take off our emerald glasses and hand them back to him.

  “Which road leads to the Vampire Witch of the West?” asks Ardie.

  “There is no road. No one ever wishes to go that way.”

  “How are we supposed to get there?” I ask, baffled.

  “That will be easy,” replies the Guardian as a sinister grin takes over his old glittery face, “for when she knows you are in Winkie Land, she will find you and make you her slaves.”

  “Keep to the West, where the sun sets,” Jellia tells us. “That is the only way to tell where to go. Oz destroyed the roads, grew the mountains right over them to keep people from going there. Riddled with vampires, the only living who remain in Winkie Land are slaves used as servants and feed bags.”

  “That would have been good to know sooner,” Ardie says.

  “I have prepared us for traversing mountains. All that lies between Emerald and Winkie Land is mountains,” Nick says.

  “We could go back to that river, couldn’t we? That river near Munchkin that Ardie got stuck in. We could take the transport back there and build another raft and take the river,” I suggest.

  “That will take us weeks out of our way.”

  “Not if we take the transport,” Ardie suggests.

  “That river is rough. Rocks and swift-moving currents are abundant in some parts. In others, the river is shallow and slow. The river winds and it is far from a direct route. Not to mention they would see us entering Winkie Land and they would capture us the moment we arrived.”

  “Okay, bad idea. Got it. So we’re taking the mountains?”

  “It is the most direct route and far easier to stay out of sight, so yes.”

  “Now that you’re decided, please leave,” the Guardian says. This time, I ignore him.

  “Thank you so much for everything,” I tell Jellia and hug her goodbye with Toto in my arms who licks her chin. She giggles and hugs us back.