“The Fisher King has been forgotten for so long, there aren’t many people alive who still remember him. If their memories all came back at once, they would go totally mad. There is no treatment for that, and they wouldn’t be able to help us fight him.”
My stomach sank to my feet. This entire time, I’d been looking for a way to break the curse that made everyone forget the Sentinels so I could clear my mother’s name. Now, I was finding out I couldn’t do that without damaging people’s minds.
Saffron was pissed. “So, you’re telling us we have to let the lie sit that our mothers were Wicked Witches? I can’t deal with that shit. I’ve been trying to clear her name for the last five years!”
“No, Saffron. I’m saying if we want to break the curse, we have to do it the right way. We have to prove they weren’t Wicked Witches, and then people will start remembering. We can do that by beating the Fisher King. I’ve been trying to figure out this answer for the last five years. When I started getting hints it was the Fisher King that was involved in the spell, that’s when I started making my move to start this school and started rounding up professors. I’ve always suspected it was Locasta that betrayed us. Her being in the East when Adora died just confirmed it. I’ve been working in the background since then.”
Daxar reached across the table and squeezed my hand. The geas was lifted, so he and Frabess could remember what was said to them now.
“It’s true, Francesca. She approached me first and told me what was going on. I helped her recruit all the teachers. She put the geas on me last after the school was ready to start, and we just needed to get the academy built and fill it with students.”
“Why this school?” I asked. “Are you training young people to fight the Fisher King for you?”
Glinda shook her head, then indicated the sleeping children. Shit. I had raised my voice and risked waking them. Glinda was dressed simply today. She wasn’t in a dress with a long train with an elaborate hairstyle. She was in a simple black dress with her hair pulled back into a bun. That was when I realized it was the first time I hadn’t seen her in white like the Wizard dictated we wear. She also didn’t have her face made up like she was going into battle.
“None of the students at this school will fight with us. The school was supposed to be a crash course in defense. The Fisher King will go after the young people with magic first because they will fight the hardest. He will go after those with innate magical abilities that don’t know how to use it and don’t know how to fight back. After that, he will move on to the mothers, fathers, and grandparents. Once he’s gotten strong enough, he will come for the Sentinels.”
“And what exactly happened after school started, and you started acting bat shit insane?”
Glinda sighed and started playing with Khuzin’s hair. Zusim started rubbing her shoulder. I could understand what she had told us so far, but not what had happened since school started. She could have gotten Daxar killed, she could have died herself getting captured, and Galen could have died trying to rescue her.
“I’m not proud of it. Locasta started sending me messages over parchment. You’ve only met her once as an adult, but you don’t realize how passive-aggressive she can be. She was sending me these veiled taunts. She knew about the school. She never outright said she did, but I could tell from her message she did. I knew we had a spy here in Emerald City.
“I’m only two months pregnant, and that’s why you can’t tell. I had an appointment with a midwife I thought I could trust. It was someone I’d vetted thoroughly, and they weren’t lying to me they would keep my secret. The reason I teleported Daxar to the North to spy was because right after my appointment, Locasta sent me a message that my students must be bundles of joy. That was when I knew she knew I was pregnant.
“I panicked, and that’s all I can say to defend myself. When I tried to make it right to go get Daxar, the Fisher King was waiting for me with an army of corpses. They captured me, and the things they did to me in that jail were horrible. All I can say is that I’m glad it was me and not Daxar since it was my fault he was in the North.”
Daxar gave her a gentle smile. “I’ve already forgiven and forgotten. Let’s not focus on that. How do we fix this?”
How did we fix it? Locasta taunted, Glinda reacted, and now the future of the South was at risk. We also had a spy in our midst we needed to do something about. Saffron had never really been that comfortable around children, but she was looking directly at Khuzin sleeping in Glinda’s lap.
“The first thing we need to do is find our mole.”
Glinda gave her a gentle look. “You need to complete your training. You and Francesca will help, of course, but you need to work on your training. You need to help the other students here learn to protect themselves.”
I hadn’t agreed with Glinda on a lot of things, but she was right. All of the students here were my friends except the Munchkins. They needed to learn to protect themselves.
I didn’t want to see the Fisher King do what he did to those Gillikin to anyone else I knew or even didn’t know.
Chapter 32
Oprix
G
linda’s children were totally adorable. I knew Frankie and Idris wanted to play with them after our meeting, but they had to finish their naps. Zusim and Glinda carried them back off to their rooms. As for us, covert rescue missions in the North were over, and we were back to being students. Glinda swore before the meeting was dismissed that she would go back to teaching history, but we had a better understanding as to why she wasn’t teaching it. If she tried to make people remember the Sentinels the wrong way, she would totally break their minds.
Equora seemed less frazzled now that Glinda was back. Glinda had been back several days, but she hadn’t dallied after our meeting. She dropped the geas on all the teachers. They actually understood why they were teaching the things they were, and so did we now.
I was a little surprised when we showed up to Equora’s class, and it was full of junk. All of the Munchkin students left with Todus, so it was just us and the Quadlings left. We all eyed the junk as we took our seats. What the fuck were we learning today? Equora seemed totally giddy.
“This lesson is going to take several days. You all saw Frankie and Saffron rescue a student because they could fly. Today, you will be picking an object to enchant. This will be your flying object. You will learn to summon it when needed, and I will also need to teach you to fly.”
No way. No fucking way. I was going to learn to fly like Frankie. Now I didn’t have to stay behind because I was the only one who couldn’t fly. Could Daxar fly? I felt a little inadequate because I couldn’t take to the air like everyone else.
I already knew what I wanted. Glinda fought with a scythe, but we also used them on the farm. I wanted to fly on a Winkie scythe used for farming. I would look like a total badass. Galen flew on his weapon. Maybe Glinda would teach me to fight with the scythe, and I could use it instead of the staff. I hated fighting. I didn’t live for it like Frankie and Idris, but I was going to have to do it to save Oz.
I eyed the junk in the room. Equora was a Winkie, and sure enough, there was a scythe in the corner. Totally badass. Idris’ hand shot up. He was back in his monkey form, and only a few people in the room knew he could shift.
“Do I have to do this?”
Equora just winked at him. “I think it would be a good lesson for you. If you fall off, I won’t have to save you.”
Idris just grumped. The rest of the class was just as excited as I was. Emari and Emarus were chattering with Saffron about what to choose. Emari wanted a broom like Saffron and Frankie, but Emarus wanted something more masculine. Saffron was telling him about how Galen flew on a staff like they were learning in fight training.
Equora cleared her throat. “Everyone walk around the room. When you feel an object call to you, pick it up and hold it. It will speak to you if it’s your object. As you can see, there are several objects appropriate for flying. If you grab an object
that doesn’t speak to you and try to enchant it, it won’t do your bidding, and you will fall to your death. Remember that if you don’t happen to like your object.”
Well, damn. I might not end up with my scythe. I walked around the room. I didn’t go straight to the scythes. I walked to the brooms first. I really didn’t want a broom. What was I supposed to be feeling? I didn’t feel anything, so I moved on.
I walked over to the staffs. Nothing again. I moved over to the stack of scythes, and I felt a little pull. What is this feeling? I felt something. It was a little tug. One of the scythes was glowing a little. It wasn’t like Glinda’s ornate scythe. It was a proper Winkie farm scythe, just like I saw in my head. I picked it up and held it. It felt right in my hand—perfectly balanced, and it hummed a little.
“I am yours to mold,” I heard in my head.
“Wicked,” I whispered.
I carried the scythe back to my desk. Frankie was grinning at me. She tucked my blonde hair behind my ear.
“That’s perfect for you. If you want, I’ll teach you to fight with it.”
“I’d love that.”
Private lessons with Frankie? Yes, please. I was thinking about all the fun we would have when we heard a commotion at the front of the room. Idris was arguing with Equora.
“I know you want me to do this assignment, but none of those objects are calling to me. I’m not meant to fly like that. I have wings.”
“You know the rules here, Idris. If you can’t do the assignment, you’ll have to leave.”
Frankie and I both bolted to our feet and ran to the front of the room. Idris couldn’t be suspended, and I didn’t think Equora realized what she was asking him to do. I didn’t think Idris was physically able to do this assignment. An object wasn’t going to call to him to allow him to fly on it because his body did that naturally. I tried to explain that to Equora, and she just sat there with her eyes bugging out her head like she didn’t know what to make of the information.
She was stammering like she didn’t know what to do. I could tell she knew what we were saying made sense, but she had her rules, and the rules said she had to expel Idris. Just then, Daxar flung the door open and marched in to save us.
“Equora, rules will need to be bent for Idris. There is no way for him to be able to do this assignment, but he can do extra credit to make up for not being able to enchant an object. Idris is an expert flier as he is a Flying Monkey. He would be a huge asset teaching the rest of the class to fly, and he could help rescue anyone who falls.”
Equora looked like she had been holding her breath. It looked like she was finally able to breathe again. She looked like she didn’t want to expel Idris, but she wanted to follow the rules. Daxar just saved her ass and managed to keep Idris close to us.
“Yes, thank you, Headmaster. Idris, you will assist in other ways.”
“Thank you!” Idris snapped, flouncing back over to his seat.
“Francesca, I’ll expect you in my office for private lessons tonight as normal,” Daxar said, leaving the room.
I looked around. Everyone had objects except Idris, and he was fuming. Ozma had a scythe like me, but it was more like Glinda’s scythe. Emarus and Emari had staffs.
How did Dorothy have a staff if she had no magic?
Chapter 33
Idris
I
’d never been so insulted in my entire life. Picking objects had taken the entire magic lesson, so now we were off to fighting class. The fact that a Flying Monkey was told they would be expelled for not taking to the air in anything but their own wings was just a slap to the face to all Flying Monkeys. It was like she didn’t understand my magic wasn’t going to call to a fucking broom to fly because my body did that naturally.
I’d have to get Daxar a gift for saving my ass because that fucking Winkie totally would have booted my ass out of her classroom for something I couldn’t help. Francesca, Oprix, and Galen were trying to calm me down as we walked to fight lessons. Galen still insisted on going to class, but he wasn’t allowed to fight or help. I hoped he knew Francesca would rip his balls off if he tried.
“I’m sure she didn’t mean it, Idris. She just thought she couldn’t bend the rules,” Oprix said.
“The rules are stupid,” Francesca grumped. “If this school is about protection and teaching people to fight, why are we kicking them out for messing up one lesson. I have to ask Glinda that.”
“Talk to Daxar at your private lesson,” I grumped.
We made it to the roof, and Ixius was actually sober. I guess with Daxar and Glinda back, they had both kicked his ass into not drinking on the job. Fight lessons at changed. Saffron took the Quadlings with the staff, Francesca took Oprix and Ozma with their new scythes, and I was back with Dorothy with her new staff. Dorothy didn’t have a school staff anymore.
Dorothy had a hefty oak staff that fit perfectly in her hands like it had been waiting for her. She seemed excited it had chosen her and was more attentive in her lessons. We had a productive lesson when she wasn’t firing questions at me about flying.
I trained Dorothy the entire fighting lesson, and we were heading to lunch when it finally hit me.
How had a staff chosen Dorothy to fly on it when we all knew she had no magic?
Chapter 34
Frankie
S
omething was bothering Idris, Oprix, and Galen, but they didn’t want to say anything over lunch. It was more than what happened in magic lessons. As soon as we finished eating, I made Saffron cancel her date with Emarus and come up to our room to talk. She pouted the whole way up the stairs and grumped and bitched that I could have at least invited him up to our room.
I kicked the door shut behind us as Saffron flung herself on the sofa and glared at me.
“I experienced the magic when an object calls to you when you are chosen. I think all of us have except Idris because he doesn’t have that kind of magic,” Oprix said. “My big question is that if Idris can’t pick an object because he doesn’t have that kind of magic, how was Dorothy chosen by a staff if she has no magic at all?”
I punched the door and started pacing. How had I missed that? I was just so used to her being with us, I never thought about her not having magic. She’d been helping us so much, and sometimes, it seemed like she did. Galen said where Dorothy came from did actually have magic, but it was different than ours, and a lot of people didn’t know how to use it anymore.
“Galen, can the Fisher King fly?”
Galen gave me a grave look. “No. The magic where the Fisher King and Dorothy come from doesn’t allow you to enchant an object and fly. A staff shouldn’t have picked Dorothy to fly on it unless she has some sort of ties to Oz we don’t know about.”
“Dorothy has brown hair like a Gillikin. Is Kans-ass even real? What if she’s been from the North this entire time? There’s a mole in Emerald City. What if it’s always been her?”
Saffron seemed to have forgiven me for canceling her date now that she knew why. She just shook her head.
“I don’t think Dorothy is the mole. I don’t think she would have fooled three Sentinels and gotten Ozma to fall in love with her if we can sense lies if she was just a plant. I don’t know why Dorothy keeps ending up here or why that staff chose her, but I think she’s just a kid that keeps ending up in Oz.”
“She’s a good actress and can cry on command,” I pointed out.
“That wouldn’t fool us if she were right in front of us,” she reminded me.
Galen peered up at me from his chair. “The Fisher King seemed upset she was in Oz the first time. He wasn’t playing to a room. I overheard him talking to my mother. There wasn’t anyone else in the room the conversation was meant for that he would lie. He kept saying she was not supposed to be in Oz. Maybe Dorothy keeps ending up in Oz because Oz keeps calling her here to beat the Fisher King.”
Idris just shrugged. “It makes sense. You’d know if she was lying to you, and so would Glinda. Dorothy
may have brown hair, but she looks nothing like the Gillikins. She looks familiar to me, but I can’t place who she reminds me of.”
Oprix got up and hugged me. “We’re going to have to tell all this to Ozma and Dorothy. If Dorothy does have magic, we’re going to have to figure out how to unlock it. Be careful how you tell them. You know how protective Ozma is of Dorothy.”
“I don’t sense magic from Dorothy at all. I can’t believe I missed that a staff chose her.”
“No one sensed magic from Ozma either when she was Tip. We have to talk to Ozma and Dorothy, Frankie. We have to figure this out, and then we have to figure out who the mole is.”
Chapter 35
Frankie
W
ell, we tried to talk to Ozma and Dorothy. They left word they were off on business and wouldn’t be back until late. If I knew Ozma, that meant she was hunting moles and traitors with Dorothy and her men. I helped Oprix with his new scythe for a little while until it was time for my lesson with Daxar. This was our first lesson since we got back from the North, and it was in his chambers again.
When he let me in, he was in leather trousers with no shirt, and he had strawberry scented candles lit again. He looked sexy as fuck with the candlelight flickering off his bare, muscular chest and the light playing off his red hair. I kicked the door behind me and growled. I flung myself at him and pulled him to me for a kiss. He tangled his hands in my braids and pulled as he bit my lower lip.
Daxar pulled away and stared at me with hooded eyes. “I could deal with that greeting every time I saw you.”
“Before we get started, we need to talk. First of all, thank you for coming in and keeping Idris from getting expelled. We all know why an object didn’t choose Idris, but the bigger question is why a staff chose Dorothy.”
“Are you serious? I missed that part of class because I was watching Equora and Idris and hoping she’d bend a little without me going down there.”
Francesca, The Great and Terrible: A Reverse Harem Academy Romance Page 19