Off To Kill the Wizard (Return to Oz With a Vengeance Book 1)

by Warren Thomas

  I'm still more powerful than any Cardinal Witch, and with Glinda at my side I'll be more powerful than Wanda as First Witch, he thought. I'll have to find a way to take Wanda out, and fast.

  Also, Wanda would automatically become First Witch upon Glinda's death, being the next most powerful. He could then name another as First Witch and usurp her, but who? All of the Cardinal Witches despised him.

  "Oh, one other thing," Wanda said, her lips spreading in a wicked smile. "You will give me Glinda as a personal servant whenever the Witch's Council is in session."

  Glinda's eyes widened and she shook her head vigorously. Scarecrow was inclined to agree with Glinda, thinking that was too much. Wanda would parade the beautiful Witch around on a leash, do wicked sexy things to her at night, and otherwise exploit her power over Glinda to the maximum humiliating effect.

  "Since she has failed me so miserably," Scarecrow said, locking eyes with Glinda. "I agree to all of your terms. Release her."

  Glinda bucked and screamed, but didn't say anything. Wanda quickly had the riding crop back in hand, eager to punish the proud beauty. She calmed down to just seethe after a moment.

  "Well, as you can see she's too dangerous to just release," Wanda said. She ran a bold hand over her captive's rump, giving it a firm squeeze. Lust spread across Wanda's lovely face. "I'll personally return her to Emerald City, and then give her to you at Court. Make sure everyone who is anyone is there to see."

  "Very good. I'll expect you tomorrow."

  "First, I want you to formally declare me First Witch right now."

  He didn't want to. That was giving her too much power before he had Glinda back. Yet, it would strip Glinda immediately of some power. The Witch would feel it, too. As soon as he did it, Wanda would be more powerful than Glinda for the first time. It would profoundly change their relationship.

  "I hereby declare you, Wanda, the Wicked Witch of the West, the Witch's Council's First Witch. You are now first and most powerful among the Empire's Witches."

  Both Witches gasped, backs bowing, as a transfer of magical power passed between them. Glinda went limp a second later, while Wanda laughed in joy. As the images of Wanda and Glinda faded, Scarecrow knew that Wanda was going to spend the night exacting her pound of flesh, probably in a very sexy manner.

  Chapter 27

  Dorothy lay sprawled atop the bed, body quivering in the afterglow. Nick stood next to a stand with a water bowl and pitcher, cleaning up after their tryst. Pure bliss filled her mind and body as she gazed upon him.

  "You've rested enough," he said, walking over.

  She nodded, remembering he forced her to proclaim him was her pimp. That meant she agreed to work for him, sell her body for him. That confused her sluggish mind. Prostitution seemed like a simple enterprise, until one was faced with it.

  "I don't know what to do."

  Nick grinned down at her. "So tempting."

  Her friend pulled Dorothy across the bed to sit on the edge. He looked her sweaty-shiny nudity over again, sighed, and removed the collar. It was like a veil was lifted and everything came into focus.

  "What just happened?"

  "You came running into my fine establishment begging me to help hide you from the king's men," he said. "Being a white knight in shiny…um…armor, I jumped into action and saved the fair damsel from capture, torture, and certain death. But really, I'm not looking for too much praise and adulation."

  "No. You put a magic collar on me and told me I was a white slave." She gave him a fierce look. "Your hooker."

  "White slave? Are there other color slaves?" he asked. "And what's the difference between them, other than color I assume."

  Her jaw dropped. "White slave just means a sex slave, a woman forced into prostitution."

  "Then why not just say sex slave?"

  "One does not discuss sex in public."

  "You come from a very strange country, Dorothy," Nick said. "And yes, I did collar and enchant you. It is what the Iron Brigade soldiers expected to see. As for why I said those things… I'm a pimp. That just comes out naturally."

  "Then you really are going to…"

  "No! Never," he said. "You're my friend." He paused to regard her a second. "Unless you want to…"

  "No!"

  She crossed her legs, and then crossed her arms under her naked boobs. Oddly, she felt no need to cover herself. Probably because she just finished doing it with him. Though, she really thought there was some kind of carnal curse upon the land.

  "I'll need my clothes and other stuff back," she said. "And an explanation."

  "Explanation?"

  "Why did you, Lion, and Scarecrow conquer and subjugate all of the lands and blame ME?"

  He cringed. "Oh. That."

  He walked over to a different trunk and pulled out a slinky looking piece of pink silk. Her eyes widened when she realized it was a halter dress. The fabric was so thin she could almost see through it.

  "You'll have to wear this while hiding out here," he said. "Every girl in my house sells her body, so a fully dressed woman would stand out."

  "I'm not going to prostitute myself," she said.

  "I know. I don't expect you to," he said. Her old friend grinned and winked, "But if you get the urge at any time…"

  "You are such a pig," she said, shaking her head woefully. She stood without another thought, and pulled the wisp of a dress over her head. If she thought about it too long, she'd never be able to wear that flimsy thing. It tied behind her neck, leaving her back bare to her buttocks. "Do I look slutty enough to hide here?"

  "Perfect," her pimp said.

  The dress clung to her curves like a second skin, so tight and clingy. Her hard, erect nipples poked sexily at the fabric, leaving nothing to the imagination. She knew the guys were going to love that. The dress's neckline was so low her nipples were almost exposed, and the hemline was so high it barely covered her nether regions and butt.

  "This is worse than naked," she said.

  Nick retrieved all of her clothes, weapons, and knapsack. He did pause to look over one of the Uzi submachine guns, but didn't appear to understand it was a dangerous weapon. With all of her worldly possessions bundled together, he went to the door and waved for her to follow.

  "I understand your discomfort, but this is a brothel and my clientele expects scantily clad beauties. Come with me," Nick commanded. He led her out of his apartment and up some narrow, very steep stairs. Dorothy struggled to climb the stairs in her sky high heels. She worried going back down would be even harder. Fortunately, he only took her up two floors. "This is your room. You will live here as long as you stay with us."

  He dumped all of her stuff in a corner. There wasn't a closet or wardrobe. She suspected each girl only had one outfit. But she had bigger problems than a hooker's wardrobe.

  "Eww. The bed has a valley in the middle," she said. Her mind filled with images of countless men and women doing the dirty deed there. The air smelled of stale sex and alcohol. "If ever a bed had bugs, it's that bed."

  "No. I have a hedge witch come in once a month to maintain the vermin wards," he said.

  That didn't soothe her worries at all. That bed looked dirty and sleazy. Her only other option was to take her chances in the mean streets of Emerald City. And she stood out like a sore thumb.

  "Beggars can't be choosers," she muttered. Still, the thought of sleeping in that bed gave her the heebie-jeebies. "It'll do. Thanks, Tin Woodman."

  "Nick," he said.

  She nodded as she looked around her new room. He was obviously trying to escape his past, why did he have to do that by running a brothel? Dorothy stopped next to the door, and pointed at a slot in the wall. He grinned.

  "My girls put all money in there before the man can change his mind."

  "How quaint." She sat on the bed. "No more stalling, Nick. Tell me what happened after I went back to Kansas. Why did you, Lion, and Scarecrow turn evil and conquer Oz? And why did you blame me?"

 
"Yeah. Well, it's complicated," he said, looking embarrassed. "The people were lost after the Wizard of Oz left. Glinda and Locasta tried to help and guide them, but then Jezebelle rose up in the East. A month later, Wanda hit the Winkie Country like a monster storm. A committee asked us to rule until they could figure it all out. We accepted."

  "So you gathered armies and marched on the Munchkins? Vanquished the Winkies? Conquered the Quadlings?"

  "No. Not at first," he said. "We did fight the Wicked Witches in a few pitched battles, some we even won," he said. "After I created the Iron Brigade our fortunes turned. We beat back the Wicked Witches' armies, and an uneasy peace settled on the land. Then Scarecrow suddenly had magic. I don't know how or where he got it, but he declared himself the new Wizard of Oz and the people rejoiced."

  He paused to pace a moment. Dorothy could see that something troubled him.

  "Didn't you see he was evil and had to be stopped?"

  "No. His magic proved so powerful even the Cardinal Witches were afraid of him, but he didn't try to conquer everyone. He cured the sick. Freed the enslaved. The evil came slowly. First, Glinda suddenly gave up her position as Witch of the South to become his personal Witch. We all knew she was the epitome of Goodness and Grace. So when Scarecrow married Princess Ozma, proclaimed himself King of Oz, and immediately sent his armies into the West against Wanda, who were we to argue?"

  "Just following orders, right?" she said, giving him a disapproving look.

  He shrugged. "Maybe we were lazy, or didn't want to see the truth. And, well, all the glory was quite heady. Anyway, after conquering both East and West, Scarecrow sent Glinda and Lion against Locasta in the North. Lion balked, but marched out anyway. I was sent to the South. Diana agreed to pledge fealty to King Scarecrow rather than let her people suffered the wrath of war. Lion defeated and captured Locasta, but refused to return to Emerald City. Instead, he moved his army of shifters into the Black Forest and declared himself king of the land."

  "Interesting," she replied. "The timeline is confusing. I've heard a few slightly different versions, and there seems to be some confusion on whether King Scarecrow or the Wizard of Oz came first, and when and how Glinda came to serve Scarecrow."

  He shrugged that off. "That is how I saw it happen. Granted, I was off in the field fighting during most of the Court Intrigues, but Glinda's subjugation by Scarecrow and his rise to Kingship did happened about the same time. He was Wizard of Oz for a few years before, though, and that made him the defacto ruler of Oz. There should be no argument there." He gave her a challenging look. "So, what brings you back after so long? And how did you stay young? You're a hundred percent human, so should be ancient by now."

  "Two words. Magic shoes," she said, lifting her right foot and grabbing the long stiletto heel. "They are just as magical as they look."

  "They seem to have transformed into a new style." He looked her up and down. "And maybe transformed you, too."

  "I know. It's a problem I'm working on. But, back to the shoes, silver hiking boots would've served me much better, but they are what they are," she said. "As for age, before I returned I was one foot in the grave. In fact, I overheard my children and grandchildren discussing putting me in a nursing home for my final days. I didn't want to go, so was trying to escape. The Silver Shoes were my only hope."

  "Ungrateful children," Nick grumbled. "That's disgusting and dishonorable."

  "I agree, but more and more it is the way of my world," she said. "Be thankful you don't have nursing homes."

  Dorothy walked over to the small window. The aforementioned heels seemed to clack even louder on the bare hardwood. The sexy sound caused a visceral reaction within, which never happened back in Kansas. She wondered if that was due to just getting the bejesus banged out of her. Nick was watching her intently, so she looked out on Emerald City while she collected her thoughts.

  "I had such wonderful memories of Oz," she whispered. She could see the palace soaring above everything else. It looked exactly as she remembered, so regal and inspiring. "I don't know what I expected, but I wanted to come back. And come back I did. The shoes' magic worked just like before, and three clicks later I was in Oz. And I had this amazing and much younger body, too."

  "Did you ask the shoes to make you young again?"

  "No. I would've returned decades ago if I even suspected that was possible," she said with a laugh. Then her mood darkened, eyes narrowing. "To my surprise, I wasn't welcomed with open arms. As soon as the villagers realized exactly who I was…"

  "They tried to kill you," he finished. Dorothy nodded. "Yeah, we might still be heroes here in Emerald City, mostly. It's another matter out in the four Countries."

  "So I've learned. I had to use an alias all the way from Oogaboo, which is a god-awful long way now. Has your world grown?"

  He nodded. "Yes. Another one of Scarecrows spells that went awry. We suffered terrible earthquakes as the land stretched out, rivers became longer, wider, deeper, and mountains rose even higher. It took Scarecrow and Glinda four decades to figure out how to stop the rapid growth. The land has been stable for the last twenty-three years."

  "His magic is that powerful?"

  "Glinda called it god-like at one point," he said. "But he doesn't have the control the Cardinal Witches possess. Glinda has been working with him to gain more and more control, which has made him more and more dangerous and eager to expand this control."

  Dorothy turned to stare out the window. Nick was starting to frighten her. Maybe Scarecrow couldn't be killed. He survived an unsurvivable attack for any mortal being. The beautiful, glorious Emerald Palace now mocked her.

  "I won't stay long, my friend," she said very softly. "Just long enough to slay the Wicked Wizard of Oz."

  Chapter 28

  The wind thundered in her ears at that speed. Wanda had to use a spell to keep the wind from burning her skin. The magic flowing through her body and down into the black and purple flying carpet was exhausting. The flight from Kiamo Ko to Emerald City only took a few hours at that speed.

  "Ynnrr gnnna paa, innh," Glinda said around her gag.

  The former Good Witch of the South was naked, bound, and gagged at Wanda's feet. She writhed and bucked, but couldn't escape her tight bindings. Ball-gags didn't so much stop a prisoner from speaking as to belittle and humiliate them, so Wanda forced in the largest rubber ball that would fit between her teeth. The poor thing couldn't form a coherent word. She knew it had to hurt terribly. And it made the proud Witch drool like a mountain spring.

  "What's that? I can't understand a thing you are saying," Wanda said. "You must learn to enunciate, Glinda. Can you say enunciate?"

  Glinda stopped struggling to glare daggers at her. The poor thing just panted furiously through her pretty little nose. Her perfect milky complexion was flushed bright red all the way to her very erect nipples.

  "Are you begging for another torrid tryst?" Wanda asked, eyes filled with mischievous glee. Then she indicated the city before them. "But we don't have time, my pet. Emerald City is only minutes away, and your King and Master is waiting impatiently for his little playmate's return."

  Wanda expected more dread at that prospect. Glinda didn't seem to care. Maybe Scarecrow wasn't such a dreadful master after all. Or the once Good Witch truly was Wicked, and loved bottoming to her master. She'd found Glinda responded the best to the most depraved, kinkiest sex.

  It would be so easy to break and tame her, Wanda thought. I wouldn't even need to use magic. Her inner slave girl is begging to be freed.

  A faint green bubble materialized over the city. Mere mortals couldn't see it. It was pure magic. A shield that only repulsed magic and magic users. It would take all four Cardinal Witches working together to break through, and that would take some time as well. That shield saved Scarecrow and Glinda many times.

  Lifting her wand, she drew the appropriate rune to request entry. A green tentacle stretched out from the shield to touch her forehead, and then Glinda's. On
ce identified, it led them to a small opening. Even then Scarecrow forced her to duck when passing through.

  Scarecrow's such a juvenile ass.

  Once within the city's arcane defenses, the Wicked Witch banked hard right, and headed for the palace. The Emerald Palace was twice the size of her Amber Palace. She slowed her approach to study all of the wards that sheathed it. Scarecrow and Glinda obviously worked together, intertwining their wards to make the shield exponentially more powerful.

  "That's some beautiful work you and the Wizard did, Glinda," she said. "If you ever become bored serving Scarecrow, I'll be willing to take you in as a junior partner. Imagine the sweet love and magic we would do."

  The bound and gagged Witch responded with a very unladylike snort.

  Just to ensure gossipy tongues wagged, Wanda chose an especially explicit outfit that day. Everyone already knew of her love of dominating sexy young women. So the Wicked Witch wore a lacy black teddy, with a groin deep slit in front loosely held closed with purple lacing. It was strapless, with no back. Indeed, there was only a little strip of cloth covering her butt crack. The only thing holding it perfectly molded to her body was magic. She accessorized with black leather thigh high boots and matching over the elbow gloves. No jewelry, but her Cardinal Witch's hat rested comfortably on her head.

  Approaching the palace, she dropped lower until she skimmed just over the heads of the pedestrians. A few taller men lost their hats. Palace Guards hurried to open the huge double doors. It gave her such a thrill.

  The palace doors barely swung open in time. She didn't slow down in the least. And once inside the palace, she dropped the flying carpet down to waist high. Splendidly dressed men and women scrambled to get out of her way. Many chose to just fall to the floor. No one wanted to suffer the Wicked Witch's wrath.

  Wanda slowed her flight to a crawl, giving everyone a good long look at Glinda. The vanquished Witch seethed, hands clenched, lying there on her side and facing forward. Some of the Courtiers looked shocked and scandalized. Many couldn't keep the smirks and smiles off their faces.