We had to succeed.
Chapter 9
Nine
“Are you just leaving it there?” Nox asked the next morning, as I closed the front door of the small house we’d slept in.
I’d slept surprisingly well after spending several hours out in the forest with Nox.
“Yep,” I said, taking Fallon’s offered hand. “Might need it on the way back.”
Nox nodded. “I assumed you didn’t know how to take it down.”
Fallon snorted and I jabbed him in the ribs with my elbow.
Learning what had happened to the city and how Fallon had lost his voice explained a few things. Like why he reacted the way he did to Glinda touching him, and why he remained loyal to Sayer despite the things he’d done. It made me feel a little better knowing exactly how he’d ended up in her service.
It also made me more determined to take the West.
I hated violence. I could handle myself well enough, I had to given the attention I got working in a strip club, but I didn’t like using force. It was the same as carrying the small pistol in my purse, I did it because I had to protect myself, but didn’t want to use it. I pulled it on Sayer, admittedly, but I didn’t intend to shoot him.
I’d make an exception for Glinda.
“And that,” I admitted with a nod of my head, “but if there are people living in the forest who could use a comfortable bed, even for just one night, it doesn’t hurt to leave it up, does it?”
Nox shrugged noncommittally and kept moving.
As we moved farther east the trees changed dramatically. The few sparse leaves I’d noticed back when we’d stopped for the night had become a heavy canopy above our heads. The muddy ground had evened out and was covered with a thick carpet of grass. Flowers had begun to spring up, and birds could be heard singing high above.
It wasn’t long before we joined the yellow brick road. Unlike the state it had been in while we were in the South, here it was carefully tended, each brick clean and bright in the morning sun breaking through the canopy of the trees.
“Is there anything I need to know before we reach this place?” I inquired, as we walked over an ornate little bridge to cross a bubbling stream. “Like, don’t tell them who I am because they’ll cut off my head without bothering to listen to why I’m here, or don’t make eye contact with the men or the women will eat me alive?” I teased, trying to lighten the growing tension building inside me.
“The mayor will have questions, but he won’t turn you away,” Nox replied with a roll of his eyes.
I gave him a skeptical look.
“Really,” he promised, looking at Fallon for backup. “They’re good people. Fair.”
Fallon nodded once and I smiled at him. He gave me a rueful grin in return and I frowned.
“What happened here?” I asked Fallon in a whisper, trusting him to tell me the truth. “How badly has she treated them?”
Fallon raised his right hand moved it in front of his body.
“Later?”
He nodded. That would be an interesting conversation.
I turned and took in our surroundings—the town seemed deserted.
“They’ll have seen us coming. I expect we’ll be—” Nox was cut off when someone called his name.
“Nox!”
I looked around for some indication of where the voice had come from. It sounded like a child, but I didn’t want to assume so kept my mouth shut.
My suspicion was confirmed when I heard rapping on the window of a nearby cottage. As I turned to face the building, I saw the curtains at the window pull tightly shut, so I looked away.
“I think we should just pass through,” I muttered, already feeling unwelcome.
Fallon shook his head and took my hand.
“They’re just being cautious,” Nox said, walking on.
We followed in silence, walking through the narrow, abandoned streets with our heads down.
It wasn’t until we emerged in a town square when Nox stopped and turned to face me.
“I’ll give the mayor a heads up, although I’m sure he already knows we’re here,” Nox offered, his voice casual.
Just then, a door on my right swung open and five men dressed in chain mail, holding pikes, rushed out.
Each of the guards were around four feet tall, their gait clumsy as they maneuvered the long weapons, which were as awkward for them as their heavy, protective clothing.
They formed an arc around the door, and I looked past them to the figure emerging behind. He was around the same height but clearly older, and the bearded gentleman was dressed in a dark green suit with a white shirt and matching green cravat. His salt and pepper beard was neatly groomed, and gave him a friendly appearance.
“Miss Rose,” he began, stepping out. “Welcome to Middletown. We expected you days ago.”
I was surprised by his friendly greeting. “You did?”
He nodded, stepping between two of his guards. They all lowered their weapons and seemed to visibly relax.
“So,” the mayor said, looking at the three of us, “you found her, Nox.”
I glanced his way to see him grin.
“I said I would. Has she been back?” I assumed he was speaking about Glinda, but I remained quiet as I watched their interaction.
The mayor shook his head. “No. She’ll send the sorcerer, no doubt. Are the other rumors true?”
Nox looked from me to Fallon and laughed. “And then some.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded, turning to face him, and irritated with his cocky comment. “I wasn’t aware you were gathering information about me. What have you come up with?”
Nox looked at me, his lips twitching up in the corners. “You’re emotionally involved with the stewards of the West and South.”
My defenses immediately went up. I didn’t like being judged for the people I cared about, especially by someone I’d just met. His eyes fixed on the line forming between my brows as I snapped, “That’s nobody’s business. And Fallon is not a steward.”
Nox smirked and turned back to the mayor, then continued, “So the sorcerer’s allegiance is still unclear. It seems Tatiana believes him to be hers, while her sister believes the opposite. Then there’s Ellana.”
“What about me?” I interjected, getting frustrated as he kept me out of a conversation about me, like I wasn’t here. This was my quest, after all, and I was the one trying to help people. I was tired of people being cryptic, especially when they were supposed to be aiding me.
“Whose is he?” Nox pressed, turning to me. There was a challenge in his voice that I didn’t like, and I blinked at him as I tried to figure out what he was asking. “Sayer, is he yours?”
“What do you mean, ‘whose?’ He doesn’t belong to anyone,” I stated firmly.
His eyes slid to Fallon.
“And him,” I snapped. “I don’t know what messed up rules you’ve been living by here, but where I come from people don’t own people. Looks like it’s something you all need to adopt.”
“Miss Rose,” the mayor interrupted, holding up a hand. “No offence was meant. Please, come inside and allow me to explain some things. Perhaps with a clearer picture of what is afoot here, you will be better equipped to complete the task set before you.”
He turned and went back through the door he’d come out of, his band of guards falling either side of the entrance.
I looked up at the building before I followed. It was a single story with a thatched roof, running a good distance along the path through the village. Assuming it was the town hall, I looked over my shoulder to Fallon and tilted my head, requesting he come too.
The mayor pushed open the wooden internal door, explaining, “I spend much of my time here but live in the cottage opposite.” He waved his hand by his head to indicate it was behind him. “This is where we keep the annals. All visits are well documented, and I took a special interest in your great grandmother’s visit when I took office here.”
With Fallon following, I stepped inside and trailed the mayor through the entrance vestibule.
“I’m sure you know the details. Her house landed on the then ruler of these lands, killing her instantly. As a result, the magical footwear she wore transferred to your great grandmother. Since she was the one who conquered the witch, she acquired the power locked in the tower and also took ownership of her magical slippers.” He’d walked into a long hall and paused, turning around to look pointedly down at my feet—at my glinting, red converse sneakers. “Garnets?” he added, surprised.
I smiled uncertainly. “Yeah. Not sure why they ended up like this,” I admitted. “They just appeared on my feet when Sayer—”
I stopped talking. I didn’t want to bring him up again, didn’t want to hear them calling him a traitor, and listing the awful things he’d had to do. But he’d done those things for them, I was certain.
The mayor gave me a sympathetic look and turned away, heading to the far left corner of the room. “Garnet is thought to be a strengthening crystal. It inspires love and devotion,” he informed me as he moved.
Fallon placed his hand on my shoulder, and I raised my left hand and brushed my fingers over the back of his palm before following.
There, I noticed a row of bookcases and a couple of tables.
“I have something I would like you to see,” he went on as I trailed behind him. “I understand Dorothy documented her time here when she returned to your world.”
“Look,” I started, beginning to feel uneasy at how much the mayor appeared to know about me and my great grandma. I hadn’t even had a decent introduction, yet he knew everything from who my grandmother was to who I was sleeping with. “I get the picture. You know far more about me than I know about you. But honestly, none of it’s that important. Glinda doesn’t matter. Tatiana doesn’t matter. What matters is us getting to the tower.”
Apparently, unmoved by what I had to say, he stopped at the table and pulled out a chair. “On the contrary, Miss Rose. Your friendship with the Good Witch and what you think of Tatiana are incredibly important. Please, sit down and let us share our knowledge. Beds have been made ready for you to rest in when we have finished. Luncheon will be brought shortly. My wife makes the very best bison cassoulet and has had it slowly roasting since dawn. As I said, you were expected.”
“And tomorrow?” I asked. I hadn’t mentioned where I was going or why I was there.
“And tomorrow, when the three of you are rested, you will continue on to the peak, to take the tower, and claim the West,” he explained, then turned to the guys. “Gentlemen, if you wouldn’t mind…” Frank gestured toward the door.
I looked back at Fallon. Nox stood at his back, silent and watchful, but I didn’t allow myself to focus on him, instead I kept my gaze trained on the silent man who had been through so much with me. I didn’t want him to go, but if Frank wanted privacy, I didn’t think Fallon would mind and I knew he wouldn’t leave if I was unsafe.
Fallon gave me a tight-lipped smile, bowed his head, and turned away, moving toward the door. Nox followed, and the door closed behind him, leaving me alone with the mayor.
“I’m Frank, by the way,” the mayor introduced himself.
I turned around to see him smiling broadly. “Ella.”
“It really is a pleasure to meet you, Ella,” he replied, leaving the table and moving toward the bookcase. “This shouldn’t take too long, but I think it is important to ensure we have as much of the truth of the initial visit laid out before you continue on to claim your birth right.”
“Why?” I queried, as he took a book from the shelf and came back to the table.
“There have been many misconceptions, and I would like to set them straight before you lay your claim to these lands. The people will thank us when they come to learn of it. None of us like to be lied to, but this has shaped the lives of so many, they deserve to know. Please sit down.”
He placed the book on the table as I sat, opened it, and turned it so I could see.
The page showed a careful sketch of my house.
I didn’t notice at first, too busy admiring the tiny details the artist had included, but after a few seconds I realized there were a pair of shoes hidden among the flowers growing near the front door. I looked up at him and asked, “What was she called?”
“The witch?” He sat down opposite me and clasped his hands, resting them on the table. “They each had many names. Tatiana has only changed hers twice, according to the annals. I was surprised to hear that the Witch of the South had gone back to using Glinda. But, to answer your question, her name was Magenthe at the time of her death. The few members of the community she allowed to address her informally would call her Mags.”
“Why would they change their names?”
He sat back and grinned. “When you live as long as they do, I imagine the change is good.”
I traced my fingers over the roof of the house on the page before me and smiled. “How long do they live?”
“How long is a thread?” he countered.
I raised my head and frowned. “They don’t die?”
“Not of common ailments or age. The only way to end a witch’s life is to take it yourself.” His eyes met mine, and he added, “And take her power.”
I turned the page to see another image. It was my great grandma Dot, in her gingham dress and shining silver slippers, with a tiny dog at her feet.
We’d never had a dog. I always wanted one, but Mom wouldn’t allow it. Grandma had a shepherd, but he died when I was a teenager and she never replaced him.
I stared at the picture for a few moments. She didn’t look powerful. She didn’t look like anything special. She was beautiful, her dark brown curls sitting on her shoulders, a lovely smile gracing her beautiful face. But she was just a girl.
“How does that work?” I questioned.
“To the victor go the spoils,” he said simply.
“But she wasn’t here to make enemies. She was a kid, she didn’t mean to hurt anyone,” I argued, trying to make him understand.
“She was brought here as a weapon. Whether the witches were aware of their new enemy or not is irrelevant. Dorothy was a weapon and she was used to claim the first of them the moment she arrived here,” Frank explained, matter-of-factly.
The door behind me opened and I turned around to see two women enter.
“Ah,” Frank murmured, pushing his chair back as he left his seat. “Ella, my wife, Francesca, and her sister Marianne.”
I got up and turned to them as they crossed the room. The one in front carried a large iron pot, her sister a basket, and they each smiled and headed for the table.
“Miss Rose,” the one with the pot began, as she put it down on the table. “It’s an honor.”
I shifted uncomfortably and looked down at the book. “Call me Ella, please.”
“Is that your first name?” she asked, as her sister began to serve the cassoulet, and Frank pulled out a chair for the other.
“In Ella’s world they don’t change names often,” he stated, placing his hand on her shoulder and moving around the table. “Sit down Marianne, let me. I hope you don’t mind them joining us?”
I shook my head and watched him take wooden bowls and spoons from the basket Marianne had set down by the pot. He served first his wife then his sister-in-law.
“No, umm, where are Fallon and Nox?” I inquired.
Francesca gave me a curious look and answered, “Marianne vacated her home for the three of you. She will stay with us as long as you’re here. They are eating there.”
I nodded and took my seat. “Thank you. That’s very kind.”
Marianne smiled but didn’t say anything.
“We were just discussing power transfer, sweet,” Frank divulged, bringing me a dish of cassoulet.
He set it down gently and handed me a spoon, then returned to the pot to serve his own meal.
Francesca frowned. “I see. Have you d
iscovered any new information regarding that?”
“No,” he responded, taking the seat opposite me. “Tell me, Ella, when did you first realize you had inherited the witch’s gifts?”
I’d just taken a spoonful of my lunch and was chewing on a very tender piece of meat when he asked and wasn’t able to answer.
Placing my hand in front of my mouth, I set down my spoon and tried to chew more quickly.
Marianne got up and reached into the basket, retrieving a bottle of something pink and a stack of wooden cups. “Drink, Miss,” she said, hastily pouring.
I took the cup gratefully and gulped a mouthful. It was the strangest thing. It hadn’t fizzed or bubbled when she opened the bottle, but the liquid in my cup was carbonated. That, and very sweet. The flavor was somewhere between strawberry and watermelon, but neither one nor the other flavor was dominant.
“Sorry,” I replied when my mouth was empty. “I didn’t know I had until Glinda sent her steward to bring me here. I appeared at her palace wearing sparkly shoes and she told me I had to defeat her evil sister. More or less, anyway. I don’t know much about these powers or how they’re inherited. But they are, in my case at least, passed down through two generations.”
Frank nodded thoughtfully, lowering his spoon, and Francesca nudged him with her elbow.
“Yes, dear?”
“Eat your lunch. There will be enough time for discussion later,” she chided, but there was a warm note in her tone.
While not being reprimanded myself, I shoved another spoonful of cassoulet in my mouth and lowered my head. The meal was eaten in silence, and I spent my time wondering what Fallon was up to.
Chapter 10
When we were finished, Frank led me across the street and into the nearest house.
I had to duck my head to get through the door, but once inside the ceiling was high enough for me to stand at my full height. The same was true for Fallon, but at well over six feet, not for Nox.
I found Nox lounging on a comfortable looking chaise, flipping through a book. He glanced over as I stepped into the room, narrowly avoiding hitting my head on the doorframe, and he quipped, “You survived, I see.”
The Quartz Tower (Kingdoms of Oz Book 2) Page 8