by Tarl Telford
"You can buy nothing with stories. No armies or kingdoms. For most stories, you'd be hard-pressed to trade a meal."
Oscar rubbed his hands together, smiling, "On the contrary, stories are the very breath of life. People pay good money for stories. One man with a story can go forth and conquer a crown. See, the story spreads in the minds of the people. One man with a dream can change the world."
"I still don't see how a story is a treasure. Myself, I have always found a certain luster in pearls."
"I've never really liked pearls." Oscar said.
Kally stopped dead in her tracks. Oscar turned to look back at her and asked, "What?"
Kally shook her head slowly in disbelief. "Pearls are the most valuable stone in Oz. Far more than gold, emeralds or even rubies, pearls can buy and entire land. Indeed, they have." She paused, "I heard that there was one who purchased half a kingdom for a giant pearl. That was, of course, a long time ago, so I don't know if that is true."
"I'm sure it is." Oscar said, "But a pearl? Really?"
"Pearls come from the seas. I'm certain you have seen that there are no seas in Oz."
"I have seen the desert on the south. There are deserts surrounding Oz, I have been told."
"And it is important for a Wizard to know his domain--what he rules over."
"Emerald City is the only dominion I can call my own." Oscar said. "Glinda rules in the South, and the Wicked Witches rule the East and West."
"You left out the North." Kally chided.
"The North is in transition." Oscar explained. "There is no witch there right now, but we do have an ally. Locasta is the guardian of the North right now."
Kally laughed, a mocking, barking sound that reflected off the trees. "Locasta? She was an apprentice. She is barely able to feed herself, let alone rule an entire land." She stopped short, her face frozen in a strange combination of amusement and the horrible realization of self-exposure. "Or so I've been told," she offered lamely.
Oscar stopped and stared Kally in the face. "You pretend to know only a little bit about the Witches, but your scheming tongue lets slip much more than you claim. Who are you?" Oscar demanded. "Pearls, or not, you are more than you appear, Kally."
Kally lowered her amber eyes and pouted her lower lip slightly. She slowly raised her eyes, looking at Oscar from beneath heavy eyelids. "I didn't want to say anything. I thought you would hate me. My family...I hate them. I...they are--"
"You've already spoken of Ondri-baba. I believed you then, but you are beginning to stretch my willing suspension of disbelief. What are you? Who are you? Why are you pretending?"
Kally looked around. They were not too deep in the forest yet, so there was still the chance for escape.
"If you are a witch, just say so."
Kally half-smiled, and her amber eyes flashed fire. "With all the blood that runs through me, I swear to you, I am not a witch."
Oscar narrowed his eyes. "An oath by blood is a powerful thing, not to be taken or entered into lightly. Why would you say that, when a yes or no would have been sufficient?"
"Some souls are not as trusting as you are, Wizard."
"Tell me what you know. How do you know all of these things?"
"I was born to a Munchkin family who were the keepers of the old secrets. They guarded the magic of the faeries--the ancient magic that first wrote the name of Oz on the stones. We were charged with keeping this knowledge. In time, the knowledge fractured our family. The knowledge was fractured also. The thieves fled with pages of the book. They disappeared, but it is unlikely that they will ever be able to discover the secrets. Only a witch or a sorcerer can read the ancient writing. The secrets may be lost, but they are lost to time, which is better than being lost to an enemy, but no matter. No power can bring them back again."
"It's a start. So where do you come in? Your family were witches with a secret, and they had a falling out, and some pages are missing in an old book. Bringing us to today--you."
Kally walked and talked them deeper into the forest.
"Two sisters--one beautiful and one ugly--fought."
"Let me guess, you were the ugly one."
Kally shot Oscar a glare that stopped him in his tracks. "I apologize. I was making jest. You are lovely. I was being absurd."
"Do not mock me, Wizard. This beauty cost me dearly."
Oscar nodded and glanced away. "I have to do calisthenics, too."
Kally paused and furrowed her brow and cocked her head at Oscar. "What? This is not a story about me. It is the story of my family."
"Continue, please."
"The two sisters each claimed a portion of their birthright, yet it was not enough for the ugly one. She stole away in the dead of night. The family did not take kindly to the loss. They blamed my family. The burden fell to me." Her face shook with each word. "For her sin, they may as well have blamed me. I bore the shame. How could I fit after that? The people, they..."
"So you are the black sheep--you don't fit in?" Oscar asked, drawn into Kally's amber eyes. He half-smiled, resting his eyes on her sad and angry face. "It can't be as bad as my family. War heroes. Stories of blood and death every day of my childhood. And me, I despise war." He forced a laugh, and then regretted it. "Your family couldn't be that bad."
"They are dead."
"Oh."
"War came, as war always comes. The two sisters, bound by blood, began a war that destroyed their family. What keepers of knowledge were left alive turned outside the family. They polluted the legacy. The knowledge was scattered and lost. They chose their side of history--the wrong side."
"So you are alone." Oscar said softly.
Kally's eyes burned as she stared angrily at the trees. Each word stung. "Ondri-baba is all that I have left."
"Kindred spirits, you and I--my family was torn apart by war also."
"No. You are nothing like me. You have not discovered the power to crush your fear and envy beneath your heel and rule and reign over it as queen omnipotent."
Oscar stared. His mouth dropped open slightly. "You are right." He agreed quietly. "Ruling as queen omnipotent. Wow. Hmm."
"Tell me, Wizard, does your blood cry out for those it has lost? Mine stopped crying...years ago."
Oscar chewed on his words and searched the treetops for the right meaning before he spoke. "Ghosts haunt me. Whether that blood cries in my dreams, I do not know. I do not know."
Kally shook her head to clear the angry thoughts, but they would not be banished. "What use is a bloodless heart? Does it even beat? What use is belief in love, or truth, or life, if the sand just blows away?"
Oscar shrugged and smiled helpfully. "I believe you. Who would claim Ondri-baba as family?"
"Who indeed?" Kally whispered.
Kally felt burning in both of her eyes and on her cheeks. She wiped them with the tips of her fingers. Then her fingers burned. She looked down at the wet spot on her finger as it burned and blistered. She quickly wiped her fingers on her dress. Her eyes were making water. That burned as badly as the rain had. She blinked quickly and wiped her eyes with her sleeve.
She turned back to Oscar.
"Your eyes are very red. Are you all right?"
"I just need some space. I'll be back in a few minutes."
Out of sight of the Wizard, Kalinya applied the unguent to her fingers and around her eyes, restoring the youth to her skin. It should burn, yes, there it was. This familiar burning was a good thing--Kally could control this one. The burning tears were beyond here control. She did not like that. Feelings like that were dangerous and could betray her. They must be controlled.
She took a deep breath and went back to the Wizard who trusted her.
* * * * *
Kally peered around cautiously before she whispered to Oscar, "This is a closely guarded secret. Stay hidden here until the count of thirty. Then cross the creek and go into the cleft above the stump. It can only fit one at a time. You must comply. This is important to me."
; Oscar ducked down and kept his head hidden as Kally stepped out of the shadows. She glanced back over her shoulder to ensure that Oscar was not watching, then she took one, two, three steps with the Silver Slippers, and she was on the other side of the creek. She quickly climbed the stump and slipped through the cleft in the rock.
Oscar joined her after the requisite count. "I can see why you want to keep this place hidden."
Glowing glyphs in phosphorescent moss cast a pale blue light over the cave. Kally whispered some words as she traced the symbols in the air. The wall shifted, blocking the exit and opening a deeper path into the patterned darkness below.
"Tread lightly. Do not disturb the sigils. They help the babies to grow."
Kally stopped after more than one hundred steps. The radiant pool bathed the entire cavern in blue light. "My family has held this secret for seven generations. I trust that the secret will stay in the family."
* * * * *
Oscar plunged into the water. He kicked and swam down to the glowing beds of oysters at the bottom of the pool. Following Kally's instructions, he chose the largest oyster first and pried it from its berth. When he felt as if his lungs were about to burst, the oyster finally came loose. Oscar broke the surface and sputtered triumphantly, holding the oyster up. It was the size of his fist.
He tossed the oyster to Kally, who recoiled in fear. The oyster clattered to the floor and skidded to a stop against the wall.
"NO! Stop it!" she screamed.
Oscar splashed some water in her direction. "Come on, what's a little water going to hurt?"
Kally glared at him as she retreated further up the corridor. "I cannot--I am forbidden to touch the water."
"So that's why you made me come in here."
"Only you can get the pearls for me--for us. Don't make me go near the water. It is my family's heritage, but I am forbidden."
"You can't swim." Oscar exclaimed. He laughed.
Kally laughed nervously. "Yes. That's it. I can't swim."
"That's nothing to be embarrassed about. I couldn't swim for a while. Then my brother threw me into the river. I swam."
"Charming. No. Not for me. No water."
"How many oysters do you want?" Oscar asked.
"I promised five to buy the army."
"Is there a pearl in each oyster?"
"If they have been fed properly, yes."
"So you don't know."
"Seven. We will judge when the shells are dry."
Oscar retrieved seven more oysters and then climbed out of the pool. The glowing water dripped from him as he dried the oysters in his shirt. Then he placed them on the ground in front of Kally.
"How are you going to open them? Tickle their tummy and make them laugh?" Oscar went over to the wall and picked up the fist-sized oyster.
Kally hummed a tune as she waved her hands over the oysters. One by one they opened their shells to reveal the treasures inside. Six held pearls, and one was empty. Kally carefully excised the pearl with forceps and a small blade. When she was finished, she dropped the pearls into a silk pouch.
"You can replace them."
"You can toss them in."
"I said YOU can replace them."
"Just toss them in the water." Oscar shrugged dismissively.
"These oysters are the entirety of my family wealth. I will not see them treated roughly."
"Well then maybe you had better take a dip into the pond yourself."
Oscar leaned down to scoop a single handful of water. He turned toward Kally.
"Don't!" she screamed, thrusting out her hands. The oyster in Oscar's hand shattered, and Oscar flew backwards into the pool. He sank to the bottom, wondering what he had done wrong. A single handful of water wouldn't drown her, so why was Kally worried? When he swam to the surface, Kally was gone.
Oscar set the remnants of the shattered oyster next to his rumpled clothing. Then he took the emptied oysters down at the same time and spread them among the clustered oysters still on the bottom of the pool.
He walked out of the pool and shook the glowing water off of his arms and chest. As he pulled his clothing back on, he noticed a glimmer of dark brilliance within the ruined oyster shell. Oscar pulled apart the shell and moved the tongue-like muscle aside. It was a black pearl. Oscar pulled out the large pearl and polished it on the sleeve of his shirt. "You are the most valuable stone in the land, or so I've been told. You will make a very nice present for a certain magical someone."
* * * * *
Ola Griffin hurried down the hallway, tears flooding from her eyes. She bumped into Promethus as he walked toward the great hall that held Glinda's Ruby Throne. Before he could lift a hand to help, Ola Griffin hid her face under her blonde hair and ran away.
Promethus entered the great hall and pointed backwards with his thumb. "I just saw."
"Yes." Glinda responded curtly.
"Why?"
"The roses were wilting on the bush. She is responsible for caring for them."
"If this has anything to do with her allowing me in last night, I profusely apologize."
"Don't even start with me. You are a man--when tears fall off a pretty face, your backbone melts. You jump in to rescue the weeping damsel. Not today. Ola Griffin no longer cares for the roses. She has a job more suited to her particular trouble-making skills."
"Is she still your herald?"
"When I need her, yes."
"She has a lovely voice. I would hate to see--"
"Stop." Glinda held up one finger to silence the older man. "She was chosen for her skills and strengths. She has not proven trustworthy."
"Where have you exiled her?"
"The junkyard. There is no trouble that she can get into out among the piles of garbage."
Promethus nodded once slowly. "Those were cast-off experiments. They are not junk--they are just not completed." Then he changed the subject. "Have you informed your...servants...that the other apprentices will be coming for their lockboxes?"
Glinda walked across the great map in the floor from the South to the far mountains of the North. She whirled around to face Promethus. "They were told. Now, I have a question for you. Where do you belong?" She pointed to the map inlaid with precious stones. "Where in Oz do you belong?"
Promethus smiled. "That is a mystery--a secret that I guard."
"So you're a guardian now?"
"Yes."
"What do you guard?"
"All mysteries have their moment in the sun. You will learn soon enough, Princess, that to approach wisdom, you must be a child."
"I am not a child!" Glinda stamped her foot.
"I know."
Several tense seconds passed. "The map is a fine legacy for the daughter of Quelala. You have made this South Castle yours. It is time that you named it truly. My masters were not exceptionally creative with the names of their domiciles--they had many castles and several laboratories. Something was here for you, and I think you have found it."
"The Ruby Throne."
"Perhaps."
"The Ruby Throne, the shard, the map, the library. I have found what is here for me." Glinda was losing patience.
"Again, perhaps." Promethus replied cryptically.
"I give up, then! Why don't you tell me, Guardian? What secret am I missing? What is there here for me?"
"A name."
"A name? I have a name. I have your name. I have everybody's name here."
"What is the name of this castle? What has your writing told you? The pen and paper you keep close to your throne is never blank long. You are never far from a pen, Princess. Your thoughts are collected. The name has come to you, I am certain."
Glinda studied the map on the floor. She indeed had a name for the castle, but she had breathed not a word to anyone. The name felt certain in her soul, but she feared allowing it to escape, lest it gain its freedom and race to the world beyond her grasp. She feared being wrong, and in being wrong, that the error would gain life beyond her power to
correct it.
Still, the winds within Glinda's soul stirred, and she knew. "Chronometria."
"A device for measuring time. It suits you, Princess. You have a long life with the tools at your disposal. See that you use them wisely."
"That doesn't sound strange to you?"
"My masters engineered wonderful clockwork engines beneath this castle to power their many experiments. South Castle was enough for their needs. Chronometria will suit yours. It is a fine name for this establishment. See that the seconds pass worthily. Your days are made of moments, and all your years are yesterday's moments built on top of one another."
Glinda pressed her fingertips together and stepped softly back to the Ruby Throne. "I have moments I regret. I wonder, How is Oscar?"
Promethus spread his hands wide. "Some questions I cannot answer. I am but a guardian. He is the wizard."
"Yes." Glinda agreed softly. "He is the wizard--more powerful than us all."
HH2: Chapter 15. The Strength of an Army
Oscar found Kally on the other side of the stream, pacing back and forth. She muttered to herself, pounding her fist in her hand. She did not see him at first, and so Oscar watched as she vented her frustration. From his experience in front of audiences, Oscar read Kally's personality quite easily. She was used to being in charge. Anything done to upset her perceived power made her upset. That was all it was, he was sure.
"The oysters are back in place." He said.
Kally looked up and calmed her hands. "You should not have threatened me."
"The oysters are back in place."
"I heard you. Very well. I cannot touch the water."
"That's not an apology."
"No."
"Very well." Oscar echoed. He felt the black pearl in his pocket, safe and sound. "You have the pearls. Where is this grandiose army you bragged about? If it really can prevent war, I will open the whole of Emerald City to you."
Kally blinked in astonishment and then smiled. "Of course."
* * * * *
In the rarely-visited ruins in the underbelly of Central City, Omby-Amby and Wickrie-Kells dropped down into a musty corridor and coughed in the stale air. The young woman waved her hands back and forth to clear the dust, but the movement did not help the smell one bit. She put her bow on her back and smiled at her companion. "Nobody saw us. We're good."
