by Sky Winters
“Good morning,” she said.
But when no one answered, she feared Aspen had disappeared again. Fuming, she made up her mind not to forgive him so easily this time, when he came striding out of the bathroom wearing what looked like a soldier’s uniform. Tight green pants, along with an emerald jacket with gold cords decorating the shoulders and breastplate. His hair was back in a smooth ponytail and he wore tall leather boots, this time in great condition.
“I hope you don’t have to ruin that,” De said, standing and stalking toward him, nude except of course for her boots.
“Hopefully it will be unnecessary. But there are plenty more if there is a problem. You should get dressed; they are expecting you soon.”
“Surely we have time for a little play,” De cooed, spinning around in front of him.
“I better leave before you get me booted from the Resistance,” Aspen said. “Get ready. I will be downstairs.”
“Wait for me. We can go down together.”
Aspen hesitated. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”
“What? Why not? Aspen, I’m scared of what they’ll expect from me. I need you.”
Aspen grinned. “You don’t need me. Besides, I’d rather stay out of the spotlight if you don’t mind. Not really my thing.” He turned to leave.
“Aspen,” she called and he paused once again at the door, without turning around.
“Good luck, Delilah.”
De couldn’t believe it. He’d left. Walked out when she needed him the most. She took a shower and dressed on auto-pilot. She felt removed from everything because she just couldn’t understand what had happened. Maybe she was making too much of it. Maybe Aspen just wasn’t comfortable in the spotlight, like he’d said. He didn’t strike her as the shy type though.
De twisted her hair up on her head, securing it with a sparkling green clip she found on the vanity. She selected a more practical outfit this time, a crop top with leather shoulder armor and a pair of green leather shorts. She would have preferred the leggings, but the boots were in the way.
Luckily the palace was a fairly straight forward place and she was able to navigate back down to the front without Corissa’s help. Or Aspen’s. She nearly did a U-turn when she spotted Glinda at the head of an enormous wooden table, filled with fifty or more people. But the witch spotted her coming and beckoned her with a smile and a wave.
Drawing a deep breath, De strode confidently toward the head of the table. She was halfway there when she spotted Brett, shining like she’d never seen him. She met his smile with her own and ran to his arms to give him a hug.
“You’re okay!” she said, backing up to take a look at him.
“Better than okay. They even got the dents out.” He pounded on his chest and turned for her to take a look at his winder. It was lower down and more to the side where he could reach it himself. And he was wearing a pair of shiny green pants for once.
“I like the new look,” De said, genuinely happy for him.
“Thanks. I owe it to you. Oh, and do you think you could put in a good word for me with Corissa? She’s been talking about how sweet you are all morning.”
De laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”
“Delilah,” Glinda said, welcoming her to her side and everyone grew so quiet that De could hear the creak of the door as it was closed for privacy.
“Hi,” she said to all the eyes trained on her.
She scanned the crowd and finally spotted Aspen in the back corner, sulking in a wooden seat with a mug of ale.
Glinda cleared her throat. “The prophecy has finally come to pass. Perhaps a decade later than expected, but here she is.” She held up De’s arm in a victory pose and cheers rose from the crowd.
“What prophecy?” De whispered through clenched teeth.
Glinda continued addressing the Resistance. “The ruby shoes shall enhance the power of their owner, bringing an end to the old regime!”
They whooped and hollered, clapped and stomped in response.
De glanced down at her boots. “Um, the only thing is, I don’t know how to use them exactly,” she said, again low enough for only Glinda to hear.
“It doesn’t matter,” Glinda whispered back. “You can present them to me, and I’ll take care of both witches.”
De’s heart dropped into her stomach. “I can’t,” she hissed.
“Excuse us,” Glinda said politely to the crowd. “But Delilah and I must discuss strategy in private. Follow me, dear.” Glinda led the way to a smaller and more private room to the side of the main hall.
“Why can’t you?” she asked the second the door was closed. Her polite smile was gone and De backed up into a chair.
“I’d be glad to, honestly, but I don’t know how to get them off. That’s why the WWW was going to chop off my legs.” De hoped that Glinda didn’t have similar ideas.
Glinda sighed, squeezing her eyes shut tight. “I see. Well then, I suppose we will have to go together.”
“Go where?” De asked, fidgeting in her seat.
“To kill the WWW of course. We have to reclaim the lands to the west in order to regain control of Oz. You have no idea how many have been displaced or enslaved because of the witch.”
De did have an idea. It seemed the only ones still living to the West were under the witch’s control, like the monkeys/munchkins, and users like the old Gnome. It was a chance for De to do some good in the world and something that her parents didn’t plan for. Who could have?
“Okay. I’ll go. But I want Aspen to come along.”
Glinda relaxed her shoulders and her smile returned. “Who is Aspen?”
De blushed. “My friend. He’s the lion who told you I was out there yesterday when we were separated at the gate. He’s a shifter. A lion.”
“I saw you myself out the window of the palace, Delilah. I’m sorry. I wasn’t aware of your company other than the metal man.”
That couldn’t be. De’s head spun. “Well, he’s helped me all along. If it weren’t for him, I’d be dead for sure.”
Glinda’s eyes filled with pity. “Beware of lions in human clothing. I believe that’s the saying.”
“No. It’s wolves in sheep’s clothing,” De corrected, bristling.
“That can’t be right. Sheep don’t wear clothing. But the point is, dear, where did you meet this Aspen?”
“I met him on the road. I woke up in what I guess were the ruins of Munchkinland and walked along a path I found.”
“The yellow brick road.”
“Yes. I suppose. Anyway, I saw his camp outside the woods and he caught me stealing. He told me not to go into the woods, that I should come here, but I didn’t listen. The monkeys had me, but he shifted and saved me. Then he traveled with me all the way here.”
“Why haven’t I seen him with you?” Glinda asked politely.
De felt warm and uncomfortable in the stuffy little room. “He doesn’t like attention, that’s all. But he’s out there. I saw him.”
“The witch doesn’t just let Ozians camp outside her woods, Delilah.” Glinda moved close to stroke her cheek.
De pulled away and stood. “He was running from her. She wanted him, but he didn’t return her feelings.”
Glinda considered this.
“I trust him,” De said, trying to convince herself as much as Glinda. If one of her company had been a spy, it would have been Brett, and Glinda didn’t give him a second thought. “And if I go on this mission, he’s coming with me.”
“Perhaps it is a good idea to bring him along anyway,” Glinda said with a forced smile.
De fumed silently. She’d gotten Glinda to agree, but was sure her motive was more to keep an eye on him rather than trust him.
“When do we leave?” De asked with clipped words.
Glinda opened the door and motioned for her to exit. “Immediately.”
Chapter 8
A party of eight set off from the palace, including De, Glinda, a brooding As
pen, and five heavily armed guards dressed in green leather armor. De supposed it was no good hiding their identity anyway.
“How will we get close enough to kill her?” De asked, falling in step with Glinda since Aspen was silently trudging along behind the guards.
“I will carry us in my force field over the woods and to the witch’s castle. The others will hold off her minions while you and I find her.”
De marched along quietly, thinking about her encounter with the witch the day before.
“How will we kill her?” she asked in a small voice. She hadn’t really thought about the actual murder portion of the quest. As evil as the woman was, she didn’t know if she could really be the one to plunge a knife into someone’s heart.
“Magic of course,” Glinda said. “We combine our powers. It’s something she and her sister cannot get on long enough to accomplish.”
“So they’re East and West. You’re North. Who’s South?” De asked.
Glinda glanced sidelong at her. “I was hoping it would be you.”
They’d reached the edge of the woods and Glinda waved her arms, encasing them all in a bubble of green light that lifted gently off the ground and flew forward over the woods. De struggled to keep her balance as she watched the scenery whoosh past through the partially opaque force field.
In minutes, they traveled as far as it had taken Aspen to lead them in two days. Of course, they did take the woods.
“There it is,” Glinda said, nodding toward a tall building in the distance.
It was built into the side of a mountain with tall towers and surrounded by a moat. But while the Emerald Palace was made of light and crystal, this was made from black obelisks that seemed to soak in light and shut it away.
De shuddered.
“Are you ready?” Glinda asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” De glanced back at Aspen, who watched out the side of the bubble with a serious expression.
“Now!” Glinda shouted, setting them all down outside the dark palace. The second the bubble burst, hoards of monkeys and ravens flew at them from all sides. The guards jumped into action, firing contraptions that shot nets or flaming arrows.
Glinda grabbed De’s hand and she had one last look at Aspen’s face, no longer sad or serious, but anguished before she disappeared.
De had to speak to him. She had to find out what was wrong. She did trust him with her life, but she also sensed there was something he was keeping from her. It would have to wait though, because Glinda had just transported them to a great room with a tall thorny throne fashioned from a twisted tree trunk. It was empty.
“Where is she?” De whispered, staying close to Glinda’s shoulder.
“Looking for me?”
De spun toward the voice just as a beam of red light shot from her long, bony fingers. Glinda reacted just in time, throwing up a force field of green that sizzled when the red beam hit it.
“Do something while she’s distracted,” Glinda said over the sound.
De drew a deep breath and concentrated. An iron cage fell over the top of the witch.
Glinda looked stunned and the witch cackled.
“You think a cage can hold me?” she asked. With one wave of her hand, the bars disappeared and fell like daggers into the ground before De and Glinda.
The witch cackled again as she raised her hands, ready to do more damage.
“I can’t hold this field forever,” Glinda said. “You have to do something more permanent.”
De’s body shook with combined fright and effort of concentration. Then she saw Aspen’s face appear in one of the many arched doorways surrounding the great hall. Her heart soared, but she feared what the witch would do if she were to catch sight of him.
“Take this, ugly!” she shouted as distraction and threw out her own hands with enormous effort.
An invisible force shoved the witch backward into the stone wall of the great room. Her eyes grew wide with fear and she finally stopped cackling. “Kill, my pet!” she screeched at the top of her lungs.
De braced herself for an attack from one of the monkeys or something worse. And Aspen chose that moment to charge from his hiding spot.
The witch pointed a crooked finger at him, and De shoved Glinda’s shoulders so that her force field fell between the witch and Aspen, leaving them vulnerable.
Aspen leapt through the air, morphing into the great lion as he did so. He charged back toward De and her heart soared. He was coming to protect her and she’d used Glinda to block his attack on the witch and vice-versa.
But as he charged, De’s smile fell. Something was wrong. His golden eyes showed immense pain and he stared only at Glinda.
“Stop!” De screamed, understanding only a moment before it happened.
Aspen pounced on Glinda, knocking her to the ground where her head bounced against the rock, finally resting still, a pool of red flowing beneath her like a tiny river.
Aspen let out an enormous roar and barred his teeth like he was about to rip out her throat.
De didn’t think. She threw herself across Glinda’s motionless form. If Aspen was going to rip out anyone’s throat, it would be hers and she’d deserve it for trusting him. She pressed her eyes closed, shielding Glinda’s head and shoulders and felt his familiar warm breath against the back of her neck.
But instead of teeth, she felt his human head, moments later, lying on hers. His body wracked with sobs as he folded her into his arms.
“I’m so sorry,” he cried, turning her to face him. His eyes pleaded with her for forgiveness.
“You will give me the boots,” the witch said, standing behind him. “Now. Or they die.”
“Who dies?” De asked, looking back into Aspen’s eyes and searching for the truth.
“My pride,” he said, powerful voice cracking. “She has my family, De.”
“And you’re willing to kill to protect them,” she said. She knew it was true. Hadn’t he already killed to protect her? “But I thought I was part of your pride.”
The anguish on Aspen’s face was too much to bear.
“He doesn’t love you, silly girl,” the witch said with a snort. “It was a part he played to get you to take off the boots.”
And he had. He’d tried at every turn to get her to take them off, hadn’t he? Until she admitted she couldn’t do it.
“I’m such a fool,” she said softly, unable to hold back the tears.
“It was easy at first,” Aspen said, tilting her chin and forcing her to keep looking at him despite the pain it caused. “I only had to get the boots. How hard could that be? Killing was unnecessary.”
“You know I can’t get them off,” De said. “So it’s not a choice anymore. You’re going to have to kill me. Or at least rip my legs off.” She tried to control the trembling, but her body betrayed her.
Aspen cried and growled then stood. De supposed he’d have to be a lion to really do it.
“Do it now. No more lollygagging,” the witch demanded. “The owner of the boots will bring an end to the old regime. I’m the new regime. Those are my boots.”
“No,” said Aspen, still watching De.
“Excuse me?” the witch asked, danger in her voice.
“I won’t hurt you, De. I may have been trying for the boots at the beginning, but I really did fall in love with you. I won’t choose between you and my pride.”
“You fool,” the witch said. “I’ll kill them and you.”
Aspen spun on her. “You would have kept using them against me until I was no longer valuable to you. You never meant to let them go. Or me.”
De stood on shaky feet and tugged his hand, pulling him back. “Aspen, no. You have to protect them. I’ll never make it out anyway.”
“I will kill her,” he whispered, nuzzling her ear. “You run when I attack. Don’t look back.”
De shook her head. Others had sacrificed enough trying to protect her. She was more sure of herself in this moment than she’d ever bee
n in her whole life. She concentrated hard and the boots that had been stuck on her legs for so long appeared in her hands, which she offered to Aspen.
His golden eyes grew wide. “De? You used magic?”
She nodded and pushed past Aspen to face the witch, whose hungry face focused only on the boots.
“They’re not your size,” De said as the witch lunged for them.
They disappeared from her hands.
“Where did they go?” the witch asked, panicked.
“To their rightful owner.” De nodded toward Glinda, who sat up slowly, clutching the back of her wounded head, barely noticing the boots on her feet.
“No!” the witch shouted, backing up toward the wall.
Glinda grinned and her eyes glowed green. The witch shook her head vehemently as steam sizzled from her skin. De buried her face in Aspen’s chest as the Wicked Witch of the West disintegrated into a pile of ash.
“We did it,” Glinda said. “Thank you, Delilah.”
“You’re going to need those. But,” De said, walking right into Glinda’s personal space, “if I ever find out you aren’t treating the people of Oz right? I’m coming back.”
Glinda swallowed and forced a bigger smile. “Got it.”
“Aspen?” De said, taking his hand. “Let’s go find your family.”
Chapter 9
De’s heart sang with a mixture of love and grief as she watched Aspen, in lion form, nuzzling with the two lionesses, one of which had the sagging belly of a mother-to-be. De wondered if the cubs would be shifters or full lions. In the end, it didn’t matter. These were beautiful creatures and she understood on some level how he could love them so much.
But watching their reunion also made De’s decision that much easier. She’d understood what she had to do so clearly in that one moment of danger. When Aspen had refused the witch in order to spare her life, she realized she couldn’t let him or his pride die for her. She had to start making it on her own.
She’d love him to be a part of her new life. Lord knew she’d never find a lover like him in a million years, but his place was here, and hers… Well, it was somewhere back in the real world, that much she knew for sure. And it wasn’t running from her parents, it was facing them head on.
