Off To Kill the Wizard (Return to Oz With a Vengeance Book 1)

by Warren Thomas

  It wouldn't be that night, or even the next couple of days. Glinda needed more time to fully recover. She sent tendrils of magic out to look for a good place to hole up while she recovered her strength. Then she looked to the south, steel creeping into her eyes.

  "You will be mine, Dorothy," she whispered. "My wrath will be terrible."

  Chapter 12

  The unguarded gate was flung wide. She reined in and warily looked the wooden palisades over. No guards there, either. Her eyes were drawn back to the gate when a long mule caravan began filing out. The mules' cargos were hidden in large wicker panniers.

  Each mule was led by a man wearing yellow travel robes, their faces covered against the fierce sun and dust. Dorothy also wore one of the yellow Winkie robes, which covered her from head to ankles. It had a veil, too, that protected her nose and mouth from the road dust. The only sign a woman rode the horse was her shiny silver stilettos.

  Even though she'd spent the last three weeks on a dirt trade road, the amount of dirt and dust she faced day in and day out was insane. Most of Winkie Country was semi-arid at best, and there was nothing flat about it. She'd purchased the travel robes at the first trading post she visited, and it was her best buy by far.

  They seriously need to pave their roads.

  Dorothy paused to admire the first paved road she'd seen since her return. It was on the other side of the trading post and was one of the yellow brick paved roads. All yellow brick roads led to Emerald City. She felt a little thrill at finally finding a definite path straight to the capital, and her destiny. The only problem was it ran directly up into the towering mountains to the east.

  She reined the horse over to the side to let the caravan pass when it turned away from the road leading up into the mountains, and headed for the northern part of Winkie Country behind her. Soon a small group of wealthy men rode out with them, all wearing the red of Quadling Country.

  Nudging the horse forward, she watched the caravan warily as she made for the gate and her first real meal in a week. Her stomach grumbled with thoughts of food. But mostly, Dorothy wanted a bath – with soap and hot water like God intended.

  "I'd kiss a flying monkey for a bath," she muttered.

  The caravan had a dozen mounted guards, who also wore red. She felt safe next to a trading post, but she'd learned the roads of Oz were anything but safe. Even "honest" traders would grab a lone rider, especially a woman, and sell her as a slave far, far away. And then there were all of the brigands roaming the land.

  Dorothy reached the gate just as the last mule exited. The trading post was laid out like most, with the main building in the middle, while all of the stables, corrals, farrier's shop, etc lined the defensive walls. In case of attack, the guards would stand on the roofs to fight. She dismounted and led her mount to the water trough in front of the stable. She tied him up there to get his fill.

  "Take care of my baby for me," Dorothy said to the preteen stableboy. She tossed him some green pennies. She winked. "There's a little extra there for you, because I know you'll take extra good care of him for me."

  "Yes, ma'am!"

  After removing her saddle bags, with her Uzis hidden inside, the young woman shouldered her pack and headed to the three-story central structure. It was a half-timbered building with wood shingles and painted about three different shades of yellow. There was a wide porch all of the way around the combination trading post and inn. About a dozen rough looking men lounged there, all watching her intently.

  She ignored the men as best she could, and entered the common room. It took up a third of the ground floor, with the rest being the actual store where she could buy or trade for just about anything she needed. I'll need to get some more tins of trail rations before I head out.

  "Greetings, traveler," a large middle-aged man called. He wore a dirty yellow tunic and trousers. Like the majority of the common people she met, he was barefooted and bearded. "I am your host, Xand. How may we serve you today?"

  "Room, board, and a hot bath," she said. Dorothy dropped her stuff on the floor and pulled off the travel robes. He looked a little surprised at her 21st century American girl outfit. She noticed his eyes found the purse tied next to her pistol belt's buckle. "Not necessarily in that order. I'm called… Silver."

  She hated not being able to use her real name. At two other previous trading posts, she'd casually mentioned names like "Dorothy" and "Tin Woodman" in conversations, and it always got a very negative response. People didn't even like to talk about her and her old friends.

  "I'll get you a plate and start heating up some bath water," Xand said. "Sit anywhere."

  He vanished through a side door. The kitchens were all outdoors at the trading posts. In fact, that was pretty common with homes, too. When she'd asked why, Dorothy was told it was too hot to cook indoors. And it might burn the house down. Yeah, they all cooked on open fires.

  There were only a few others in the common room. It was actually a little hot and stuffy inside, so she assumed the other guests were out on the porch. Everyone watched her remove the katana sword and lay it upon her table. Strangely, no one even glanced at the pistol on her right hip. If they only knew.

  Then she noticed it. A huge map on the floor. She walked over and got herself oriented to read the legend. It looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't quite place it. But a lot of places she'd been and enjoyed were indicated on it.

  "Awesome! A map of Oz," she cried. She could only recall looking at a map of Oz once, and it didn't look anything like that. Same basic shape, but the indicated distances were astronomical compared to the earlier map she saw as a child. "This can't be right."

  She walked across the map painted on the floor, to the northwest corner. There was Oogaboo, though they spelled it Ugabu. It was tiny, and not much bigger than a city on the map. So she moved south and east, until she found the yellow star indicating her present location. Then she moved over to the middle of the map to find a green star labeled as Emerald City.

  "So in three weeks I've traveled about half the way to Emerald City," she said, frowning. "I don't recall Oz being this large seventy odd years ago."

  The owner returned with her plate. She waved him over.

  "Sir, is this a true and accurate map of the lands of Oz?"

  "It is indeed, miss," Xand said. "I have a witch come and update it once a year."

  "But it's so big," Dorothy said. "I've seen maps of Oz, and they show a land many, many times smaller." She pointed at the legend. "According to that, Oz is three thousand miles across."

  "Yes, it is. And, it was," he said, not looking pleased. He sighed. "It is the Wizard of Oz's doing."

  "Aye," another guest said. He sounded disgusted. "He's always tinkering with everything."

  The stranger was white as porcelain, yet just as human as her. He was tall and slim under his red travel robes. He grimaced under her scrutiny.

  "Yes, I am one of the Changed Ones," he snapped. "I used to be a magical being and made of beautiful fine china. Thanks to the Wizard's foul spell, my people are all base humans now."

  "Oh my! The Wizard of Oz did that to you?" she asked. "Why?"

  He shrugged. Xand answered. "Yes. Rumor is King Scarecrow was actually trying to make himself completely human, but lost control of his spell. Almost every non-human race was turned to human. Some were altered in strange ways, like the shifters."

  "Shifters? You mean werewolves?" Dorothy asked.

  "Wolves, bears, lions, you name it," Xand said. "The Wizard's great general, Lion, gathered all of the shifters up and created an unstoppable army. Then when he split from the Wizard, he took his shifters and created his own kingdom over in Munchkin Country. Calls himself the Warlord nowadays."

  "What about the Tin Woodsman?"

  "Nick Chopper? He created and led the infamous Iron Brigade, which is now the King's bodyguards," Xand said. "He vanished right after Lion went off on his own. Some say he is undercover and the Wizard's spymaster. Others say King Sc
arecrow had him dismembered and his body parts spread all over the land to ensure he never rises again."

  "The only good thing King Scarecrow ever did, if you ask me," the former china man said. "He was a bloody and heartless general. Completely without mercy or compassion."

  The "heartless" comment surprised Dorothy. All the Tin Woodman ever wanted was a heart.

  Dorothy thanked them for their help. It was hard hearing all of those terrible things about her friends. Something had to have happened to turn them all wicked. She suspected magic was involved, and probably a Wicked Witch behind it, too.

  She double-checked the map to ensure the yellow brick road running next to the trading post indeed went straight to Emerald City. It did, but also passed through a place called Kiamo Ko, with the label "Seat of Power of Wicked Witch of the West." Yeah, that wasn't a welcome revelation. The previous Witch's castle was indicated further north, so at least it wouldn't be the same place. She didn't have good memories of her time there.

  As she returned to her table and meal, Dorothy finally figured out what was bothering her about the map. It was an almost perfect representation of the United States of America. The size was right, and the shape was almost perfect. There was Florida and Texas jutting down below. So that meant Emerald City was in… Kansas.

  She stood there and gawked for a long moment. No one in Oz knew anything about America. She'd mentioned she was from America a few times during her trip down from Oogaboo and got no reaction at all. Any reference to Kansas immediately caused drama as the Ozians ranted about Dorothy of Kansas ruining their lives.

  Her meal was delicious. She'd always loved mutton, though her late husband and children all hated it. The veggies with it were undercooked, but she'd noticed that was common in Oz. It did make for crispier veggies, and she was starting to enjoy them more and more.

  By the time she finished eating, and hauled all of her stuff up to her room, Dorothy's bath was ready. That proved to be a luxury second to none for the road-weary young woman. She soaked all of her aches and pains out, and didn't get out until the water became uncomfortably cool. Xand even had her dirty clothes washed while she bathed.

  Finally, bathed and wearing clean clothes, Dorothy was able to relax and enjoy a few beers. She was the only woman staying at the trading post, not counting Xand's wife. She didn't pay for a single beer, and the men were all eager to tell her anything she asked.

  "Tell me about the road up through the mountains, and to Emerald City," she asked. "Anything I should be wary of? Avoid?"

  "Yes," a Munchkin merchant said. "Stay as far away from Wanda as possible."

  "Wanda?"

  "Wanda is the Wicked Witch of the West," he said. "She's as wicked as she is beautiful. And she has a very unnatural taste for pretty young women."

  Chapter 13

  The mighty Winkie Mountains soared above and to the west. Their peaks stood forever snow-capped, jagged, and forbidding. There were many passes through the mountains, most quite treacherous. Glinda only cared about one.

  "Dorothy will cross over on the yellow brick road," the Witch said.

  She stood with a dozen Sa'Kor officers. They were the leaders of her Sa'Kor's military branch. Scarecrow limited her to five thousand Sa'Kor soldiers, but they were still a force to be reckoned with. All were tall, powerful, and quite beautiful warrior women. Most were dark-haired, dark-eyed, but there were a few blondes in that group of senior officers.

  They stood around a table with a mock-up of the pass atop it.

  "You will go in wearing civilian garb, from all four Countries," Glinda said. The Sa'Kor officers before her were all in their standard uniform: steel cuirass molded into the shape of their busty torsos, black leather pants, knee-high boots, and steel bracers. All carried straight swords on their hips. All Sa'Kor soldiers wore their hair in three braids: a pair of smaller ones framing their faces, and a thick braid down their backs. "Lose, or at least hide, your braids. That's a dead giveaway."

  They stirred uneasily. Their warrior braids were sacred in their Warrior Cult.

  "Stand at ease," General Alizan said. The tall brunette looked the other Sa'Kors over with cool green eyes. "We have wigs to hide our braids, as well as travel robes in red, yellow, purple, and blue."

  "No green?" Glinda said, smirking.

  "Never," Alizan said, scowling. And then more conciliatorily, "Green robes always attract too much attention in the Countries."

  Sa'Kor soldiers normally wore red robes or capes. The crests atop officers' helmets were also bright red. All that had to be hidden from Wanda's spies. If the Wicked Witch of the West discovered Glinda's private army in her Country, she'd go crazy. Her Sa'Kors might be amazing warriors, but they were grossly outnumbered by Winkie soldiers.

  As Witch of the West, Wanda was officially Scarecrow's viceroy in Winkie Country. Wanda pledged fealty to King Scarecrow, an oath enforced by powerful magic. She could rebel, but it wouldn't be easy to shrug off that mantel of obedience. Glinda was held by a much more powerful enchantment. Yet, the strawberry blonde Quadling was still Wanda's superior in that she was First Witch on the Witch's Council.

  "Start deploying your troops this afternoon, Alizan," Glinda said. "They are to be sent in a few at a time. Have them get to their assigned positions as quickly as possible. Dorothy Gale cannot be allowed to get past us. I want her delivered to me alive."

  Glinda estimated Dorothy had to be close, if not already in the pass. It was the easiest, most direct path to Emerald City, and if the Kansas farmgirl asked any Winkie how to cross the mountains, they would direct her to the yellow brick road.

  "Keep an eye out for Winkie soldiers," she continued. "I don't think Wanda suspects anything, but she's a crafty bitch. Left to her own devices, she'd divine your presence quickly." The Witch grimaced. "So I'll be paying her a visit. To distract her. Send me a secure bubble as soon as you capture Dorothy. And don't wait for my response. Take her to my castle immediately."

  "Don't forget," Alizan said. "Her shoes are talismans, and she has magical weapons as well. Strip her naked immediately."

  "Starting with her silver shoes," Glinda added.

  "Bind her hand and foot. Blindfold her. Gag her," Alizan said. "And if you cannot get the shoes off her feet, which is a distinct possibility, then keep her feet far apart in a spreader bar."

  "I hear she's quite attractive," one of the captains said. Pasetta was a pretty blonde with a black leather patch over her missing left eye. "Are there any restrictions or conditions we need to know concerning Dorothy's…um…treatment while en route to the castle?"

  Glinda rolled her eyes. "I don't care if she warms your bed, Captain. Just don't kill her. I'll be very, very angry if she dies."

  If Dorothy was to die, it would be by Glinda's hand. The little bitch almost killed her with her weird lead arrowheads. The Witch wanted to ring the secret of her magic weapons out of Dorothy, and then decide her fate. Technically, she'd give her to Scarecrow, which meant Dorothy would end up in his growing harem. Of course, if there was a way to defy her master and keep the young woman for herself…

  "You have your orders," Glinda said, stepping away. "Take command of your army, General Alizan, and find Dorothy Gale!"

  Glinda strode out of the bright red pavilion. She paused to look around at all of her Sa'Kor soldiers and smiled. It was good to have her own army. Then she stepped atop the five by eight flying carpet. The carpet was lying on the ground like any mundane rug. It was multicolored, intricately woven, but the primary color was green. Scarecrow provided it after Dorothy destroyed her flying carpet.

  The week it took Scarecrow to deliver it to her in Oogaboo still grated on her. It was a sign of his displeasure. King Scarecrow didn't suffer ineffective minions. There was a good possibility he would strip her of all magic and toss her in an army brothel if she failed to capture Dorothy. He had threatened that very same punishment more than once, and she was afraid he warmed more and more to the idea every time he voiced it.<
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  She pointed her wand at the carpet, drawing a tiny rune in a flash. It lifted a foot off the ground and hovered, waiting for directions. Everyone was staring at her, and she did appreciate an audience. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she considered how to amaze them, and then lifted the wand above her head, and gave it a precise movement.

  A bright white halo appeared, and as it slowly dropped to the carpet, with her inside, it changed her outfit. Glinda was wearing a pink and white gown, which transformed before their eyes into a white bustier and skin-tight pink leather pants. White stiletto-heeled thigh boots protected her legs, and a pink leather bolero jacket finished off her new outfit.

  "Take me to Kiamo Ko," Glinda said, and the flying carpet took off due west.

  She followed the yellow brick road, flying just fifty feet above it. The Witch kept an eye on the road and slowed to investigate any young woman she spotted. The Sa'Kors were camped in the foothills, so it took the better part of an hour to reach the actual mountains. At that point, Glinda ordered the carpet higher, and took a straight as an arrow approach.

  The yellow brick road twisted and turned below her, following the easiest flow of the terrain up the pass. She spotted villages and farmsteads below. A few stone towers and castles littered the peaks and crags, most of which were ruins. Glinda did notice an especially large castle that she'd personally destroyed was being rebuilt. Scarecrow and his generals would want to know about that. Wanda could build all of the forts and castles she wanted, as long as she paid for them out of her Winkie Country treasury, but it was customary to alert the King of any military construction.

  Glinda rose up above that range of mountains, and remained high as she flew over and between snow-capped peaks. There were many large and small mountain valleys below, with Kiamo Ko in the middle of the largest valley. It was the largest city in Winkie Country, and third largest in the Empire. Wanda had worked hard to build it up and turn it into a center of trade.