Francesca smiled at her cousin. I loved how she always gave Saffron encouragement no matter what the situation was.
“I keep telling you that you’re brilliant with potions. We can wake up those with minor injuries, but it might be best for those with severe injuries to let them sleep a little longer because they will be in pain when they wake up.”
“Your Galen needs to sleep until the poison is out of his system. It’s a painful process, and it’s best if he’s asleep through it. It would probably be best to wake Glinda as soon as possible so she can have a good, hot meal. I can only imagine what kind of food they fed her in that jail. So, little Sentinel, have I finally convinced you to go back home until we have a better advantage?”
“The plan has logic. You say you have a mirror where we can talk and plan?”
“Yes, but keep in mind I am a cat, and I enjoy my naps. If I don’t answer, I am either asleep or dealing with forest business. I will answer you when I am able.”
“I will only call when it’s important. I know you are a busy leopard.”
“Then I suggest you take an empty vial of the powder Saffron identified so that Zusim can wake his mate and take your injured home so that they may recover in their own beds.”
And just like that, we were kicked out of the Forest of Gugu.
Chapter 29
Frankie
G
alen may totally flip his shit when he woke up, and I didn’t ask him if it was okay because I couldn’t, but as soon as we teleported back to Emerald City, Idris carried him to our bedroom and put him in our bed. All the rats and Gugu kept telling me he just needed to sleep for two days to get the poison out of his system, and then he would need to recover from his wound, but Galen looked like he was dying.
His skin was so cold to the touch, but he was constantly sweating. He might have been asleep, but he wasn’t at peace. He was always crying out in pain or talking in his sleep. He was having nightmares, and we would hear him plead for his father not to beat him. We would listen to him beg for his mother to do something.
It just pissed me off. I didn’t care if he was supposed to be immortal. I was going to find a way to kill the Fisher King. Even if he hadn’t terrorized Oz before I was born, devised a plot with Locasta to have my mother murdered, and I didn’t see what he had done to those two Gillikin people, I would kill him for what he did to Galen. I was pissed at what he did to Glinda, too, but I had a deep hatred in my heart for people that hurt kids.
I didn’t know if Galen was too hot or too cold. I wanted to hold him, but I didn’t want to make things worse. Instead, I sat by his bedside and mopped the sweat from his brow and held his hand. I didn’t know if he could hear me, but I tried to talk to him. When things got bad, and he thought he was back with the Fisher King, I tried to tell him he was safe.
The only thing that calmed him when he was having a spell where he thought he was back in that prison was when I sang to him. I’d stroke his hand and sing lullabies my mother used to sing to me. There was this one Winkie lullaby about the Mother Moon and her children, the stars that seemed to calm Galen the most. It had a haunting melody, and it was always my favorite growing up.
When the second day rolled around, and I was promised Galen was supposed to wake up, I had no idea when. I never left his bedside. I sat there, just staring at him waiting for his eyes to open. Idris and Oprix were patient with me. They never pulled me away or demanded I pay more attention to them. They brought me food and made sure we had broth brought to our room so I could try to feed him.
Galen didn’t open his eyes until almost nine that night. He groaned, and his eyes fluttered open. I couldn’t help it. I flung myself across his chest and buried my face in his neck.
“I was so worried about you,” I whispered.
“Are we back in Emerald City? What the fuck happened?” he groaned.
“You got shot with a poisoned arrow. Gugu and his people had the antidote. They sent us all home to recover. I’ve been watching over you for the past two days.”
“Why is all I can think about taking that arrow and the moon?”
“You were having nightmares. I would sing to you. You seemed to calm faster if I sang you this Winkie lullaby my mother used to sing to me.”
Galen winced as he tried to smile. “The first time you sing for me, and I’m not even awake to hear it. Am I in your room?”
“Yes. I talked to Idris and Oprix. Would you like to just move in here with us? It feels weird having you sleep by yourself. You’re one of us.”
“Idris agreed to this?”
I laughed. I couldn’t help it. Idris liked to huff and puff, but he wouldn’t deny me love, and I knew he liked Galen now.
“Idris decided he liked you way before the battle in the North. Something about man bonding over food while I was away and deciding he wasn’t jealous of you.”
“Can I have some water? It feels weird to have someone jealous of me. He’s known you your entire life. You hardly know me. He’s got nothing to be jealous of.”
“Honestly? I’ve wanted to know more about you since I met you, and I feel this connection to you. Idris was jealous because you’re like me. You could technically be a Sentinel with the right training if you wanted it. Idris was jealous I’d end up preferring you over him because of the whole Sentinel thing.”
“Ah, but I don’t want to be a Sentinel, Frankie. I’ve seen how power corrupts. I don’t want that responsibility.”
“I don’t know what we’re going to do in the North when this is over. No one is going to force you to be a Sentinel, and I want to be a little selfish and keep you to myself.”
“If I exist, then I have a feeling the answer to a Sentinel in the North is out there, we just need to find it. Oz has its own magic, and it has its ways of balancing things out. There were five women with enough power to imprison the Fisher King when it was needed. You and Saffron might not be fully trained, but I think your past and what Glinda just went through are going to make you formidable foes for the Fisher King. You all have great reasons to want to end him for good. So does Ozma. I have a feeling the answer to a Sentinel in the North is out there. We just need to be patient.”
“You have a lot more patience than I do, Galen.”
Galen sipped the water I handed him like he was parched. “Oz brought Daxar into your life for that, Frankie. Now that I’m awake, you’ll have to go back to training. How is Glinda?”
“Zusim had Daxar stay with her while he fetched their children. As soon as their children were here, Saffron identified a potion that would wake her. Everyone agreed that both you and Glinda needed time to heal before we met again. Glinda said she wanted a chance to explain herself to us, but she wanted to wait until you are awake. She wants to meet you.”
“I get why everyone distrusted her, and I understand why she did what she did, but is she the type of person that is going to judge me for who my father is?”
I brushed his hair off his forehead. His skin was finally starting to feel like a normal temperature again. I’d need to check his wound again to make sure it wasn’t getting infected.
“I don’t get that vibe based on Zusim. Glinda had a forbidden romance with a Flying Monkey, and she gave birth to the first hybrid children. I don’t think Glinda is going to hold anyone’s parents against them, and I don’t think she’ll be judgey at all.”
“Her children are special. Is she going to let everyone meet them?”
I sighed. Idris and I had been talking when Galen was sleeping. We both desperately wanted to meet Glinda and Zusim’s children. So did Oprix. We all loved kids, and Glinda’s children would give Idris and me an idea of what our kids might be like. And I just wanted to play with them. One of my favorite things about living with Oprix and his family was when there was a new baby to play with. I watched the kids when his mother went to market to barter, and I just loved the things that came out of children’s mouths and their imagination. Kids said anything, and I found
it hilarious.
“Glinda knows all the Flying Monkeys that are here want to meet the new race of Flying Monkeys. She’s promised once she’s spent more time with them, we can all meet them. Do you like kids, Galen? Do you eventually want them?”
“I used to think I wanted siblings until I realized how horrible my parents were. Then, I was glad it was just me, so they weren’t doing that to anyone else. When I left, a few people let me stay in their homes and fed me. My favorite houses were the ones with children. They are brutally honest, and they are so funny. I never got to play when I was younger, so it was nice to play with them. I never thought about having kids. I didn’t have the best parental examples, and I never had a future to look forward to before.”
“You do now, Galen. You’re one of us. If you wanted to stay with us in the West, we want you there. You never answered if you’ll sleep in here with us.”
Galen turned purple. “I can hear you through the walls, Frankie. I’ve never had sex before. I can hear Idris and Oprix making you scream, and I’ve got no idea how to do that. If you want that from me, what if it’s bad and you kick me out?”
“We don’t do that until you’re ready. We’ll build up to that and experiment so we can learn what the other likes. You are worried because you don’t know how to make me scream, but I don’t know what you like, either. It’s a learning process.”
“Will Idris and Oprix be watching?”
“Does that bother you? Idris and Oprix like to play together.”
“It’s actually kind of a turn on.”
I just laughed. “Don’t get me talking about sex while you’ve got a hole in your shoulder, and we can’t even make out. I need to check your wound. I’ve got a tonic for the pain too. It won’t put you back to sleep, but it’s got white willow bark for the pain. Can you sit up?”
I ended up having to help him. Galen had a high pain tolerance, and he wasn’t moaning and bitching, but he’d been living off what little broth I could get him to swallow for the past two days, and he was weak. I checked his bandages, and I wasn’t done taking care of him yet.
“Do you think you can eat something to get your strength back up? I’m learning some of your favorites. I can have them sent up.”
Galen gave me the biggest smile I’d ever seen from him. “Perhaps I should get shot more often. It’s kind of nice having you baby me.”
Chapter 30
Idris
T
hank Oz. Galen was finally awake. He looked like total shit for a little while. I wasn’t upset Francesca was spending so much time with him. I was worried about him. Oprix and I were worried he wasn’t going to make it. We talked about it when we weren’t around her. I was so happy when that boy opened his eyes because it made Francesca happy. That, and I just liked Galen now.
Yeah, that feeling in my gut that I didn’t like him and he was going to steal her from us was gone. I knew that wouldn’t happen now. He was my bud now. I’d have to take him for a drink when he recovered. Man bonding was important.
He kept insisting he was recovered enough for us to go hear Glinda out. He said he didn’t have time to be in pain with the Fisher King out there. Francesca had been talking to Gugu, and Uptown had been quiet. They were preparing for war behind their walls and not letting anyone come and go. Whether it was against the South or us, we didn’t know, but Daxar was making preparations in the South.
We were all supposed to go meet down in the throne room. Glinda insisted we were going to meet her children eventually, but I didn’t know if they would be at this meeting. Galen was still a little pale, and Francesca made a sling for his arm, but he walked unassisted to the throne room.
I saw Glinda sitting at the front with a beautiful toddler in her arms. Before I knew it, a little Flying Monkey landed on my shoulder and tugged my braids.
“Papa, is this the prince?” she hollered.
Zusim gave me an apologetic smile. “Yes, love. Try not to assault him.”
“Well, hello,” I said, gently pulling her off my shoulders. I cradled her in my arms and tickled her. “Don’t you just look like a little princess?”
She giggled and flew off to Zusim. She was shy now. Her hazel eyes peered at me from behind his shoulder.
“My name is Idris. This is my mate, Francesca, and her other mates Oprix and Galen. I think you’ve met Daxar and everyone else.”
Francesca was making goo-goo eyes, and I could tell she was in love. “Hello, Elore. You are beautiful. I hope we can play with you later.”
Elore peered over Zusim’s shoulder a little further. “Your hair is pretty. I like purple. Blue is pretty too.”
Saffron wasn’t as comfortable with children as we were, but I could tell she was enchanted with Elore.
“Your wings are pretty, Elore,” Saffron said.
“Papa, can I play with them later?”
“Ask your mother.”
“Mama?”
Glinda gave us the friendliest smile I’d ever seen since I met her. “Thank you—for everything. Yes, love, you can play with them later. Khuzin will probably want to play too, but it’s his nap time, and he’s tired right now.”
Khuzin yawned and buried his red braids into her neck. I think he was sleeping. I was totally enchanted. I wanted to forget about the Fisher King for a little while and play with these little hybrid children. Khuzin struck me as being a little shy, but little Elore was not.
“Mama, can I sit with the prince?” Elore demanded.
Glinda gave her a gentle smile. “If it’s okay with him.”
I opened my arms. “Come here, little princess.”
Elore zoomed at me and practically tackled me when I caught her. Zusim was right—she was pretty strong for a five-year-old. I hugged her to me and took a seat. Francesca just laughed and sat next to me.
“Should I be jealous?”
I looked right at her. I knew she wasn’t serious, but things had changed.
“We have to save Oz for them too.”
Chapter 31
Frankie
O
kay, Elore, and Khuzin were the cutest thing I’d ever seen. They both had the coffee-colored skin of the Flying Monkeys, but Quadling red hair. They both wore their hair long, and Zusim braided it like the Flying Monkeys. Khuzin was passed out in Glinda’s lap, and I thought little Elore had a crush on Idris because he was a prince.
Elore was sitting in Idris’ lap, sucking her thumb. She looked right at me. “Are you a princess?”
“I’m a Sentinel like your mama.”
Elore nodded. “I’m sleepy.”
She settled into Idris’ lap like she was going to take a nap too. Glinda just smiled.
“It’s her nap time too; she was just a little too excited about meeting a prince and wanted to stay awake. Thank you for being kind to them. I didn’t take you for being into children.”
I was a little offended, but I tried not to show it. Glinda didn’t know me, and part of that was my fault. I’d been avoiding her for five years. Maybe she had been trying to tell me about them for the last five years, and now she mistrusted me too because I’d been avoiding her.
“We all actually love children. They are beautiful, Glinda. I’m glad you trusted us to meet them.”
“That’s what we need to talk about now—trust. We need to get everything on the table if we are to fight the Fisher King. Locasta and the Fisher King know I’m carrying the next Sentinel to the South now. They will step up their plans.”
I needed to know. Did Glinda sacrifice my family for hers? She said she didn’t get involved until after Dorothy killed my mother because she didn’t know. Did she let my mother die because of her children? Elore was five-years-old. She would have been born right around the time Dorothy was in Oz.
“Did you let my mother die to save your family?” I demanded.
“No, Francesca. I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t know. I was actually eight months pregnant when I came to Emerald City to try to send
Dorothy back. I glamoured myself to hide the pregnancy. I did try to contact your mother when I found out about Adora, but she never answered my message. If I had known the Wizard sent people to kill her, I would have teleported to her castle no matter how pregnant I was.”
I shook my head. I already knew how that would have played out. I knew my mother too well. “It would have ended the same. She would have sensed the pregnancy and teleported you back home.”
“I was trying to find you and Saffron to bring you to the South so I could train you. I’d eventually tell you about my children and let you meet them. You just kept dodging me, and when Azami and Adora and I were on friendlier terms, they were both so proud of the two of you. They told me how strong you were. They told me how good you were at fighting. I’ve always been stronger at magic than fighting. I knew if I came to the West or East and you attacked me, I may lose, even though you are younger than me.”
I held up my hand. Before we went any further, she needed to do something for me. Frabess and Daxar were both here. Glinda was telling us the truth. I could tell. She’d also done wrong to Frabess and Daxar. Several times over, but before we could continue, she needed to make one thing right.
“Before we continue, you need to lift your geas on Frabess and Daxar.”
Glinda closed her eyes, and a breeze blew back her hair. “It is done, but let me explain the geas. There are things you don’t know about forgetting spells. The only way to break one is to make people remember by talking about it. If it’s not done correctly, when the curse breaks, you can damage everyone’s minds. I told everyone here about the Fisher King and why he was a threat, but I put the geas preventing them from talking about it because the more people talking about the Fisher King, the more the chance the spell would break.
Francesca, The Great and Terrible: A Reverse Harem Academy Romance Page 18