Sentinels of Oz: A Reverse Harem Academy Romance (Emerald City Academy Book 1)

by JB Trepagnier

  “Is this all a fucking Quadling game to you? Once you’ve trained her, do you intend to just go back to the South and cut her out of your life?”

  “Francesca is unlike any woman I’ve ever met. I let her get away with things I don’t tolerate from anyone else. I dare say I’ve developed intense feelings for her in a short time. Once this is over, what happens to Francesca and me is completely up to her. If she wants me in the West, I will go to the West. If she never wants to see me again, I’ll go to the South and try to get over her. I have no intention of ever hurting Francesca. I’m putting myself in a horrible position where she can hurt me.”

  “Why should I believe you? You are blackmailing me with the cap right alongside Glinda. I know what you are doing. If you ask me and promise me I’ll get it back faster, you don’t have to use up your wishes.”

  Daxar poured me another brandy. “I was actually planning on sending for you anyway. I want to be honest with you about that cap. You aren’t getting it back until Glinda has accomplished everything she wants to do in Oz. She intends to have me use the cap to make a wish to summon the Flying Monkeys soon.”

  “And you’re okay with that? You’re okay with the continued slavery of my people because it gets Glinda what she wants?”

  “I don’t want to use the cap at all. I think it needs to go back to your family. It’s not my call. I need to be at this school training Francesca and keeping things like Munchkins falling off the roof from happening. Glinda can’t and won’t run the school. The reason we need to use the cap is that she has a lead on the missing heir. We’re going to need the Flying Monkeys, Saffron, and Francesca to get them back.”

  I growled. “I thought I was lying to Francesca about the green-haired boy because you wanted her focused on her training.”

  “Have you heard of Mombi in the North?”

  “A minor nuisance. I thought Locasta handled her.”

  “Locasta took her magic and left her to live in the country. There are rumors she got it back and was in Emerald City when the Wizard disposed of the King, and his newborn child disappeared. Glinda got word Mombi has a ward. A ward that showed up right around that same time. It’s the best lead we have on the missing heir to the Oz throne.”

  “So, why don’t you send that nice army Glinda put together to fetch the heir she wants so badly?”

  Daxar just chuckled. “Have you heard anything about the Oz army? There are only twenty-one men, and they are all Captains. There is one private to actually fight. When Glinda sent word she was forming one, the only men who would sign up wanted an immediate promotion. They are probably totally worthless in a fight.”

  “So, make them less worthless and give my people the cap back. You have an army. Make them a real army instead of lying about giving it back.”

  “I don’t like this any more than you do. I don’t pretend to know what the Flying Monkeys have been through, but you are important to Francesca, so I consider you my brother. All I can remember with this geas is that there is a big fight coming, and the Flying Monkeys will be needed.”

  “So, give the cap back and ask us if we want to join your fight.”

  “Would you, if asked?”

  “We might have. Glinda might have ruined that by keeping the cap for five years after promising to give it back when she was done with it. The Flying Monkeys are pissed, Daxar. We had the cap with Azami, who was trying to break the curse. Dorothy waltzes in, murders Azami, and takes the cap with her. She used us to cart her and her friends back to Emerald City, then gave the cap to someone refusing to give it back. Francesca wants to try to continue Azami’s work lifting the curse.”

  “How do you know the curse can even be lifted?”

  I decided just to show him. I didn’t care if he saw me naked. I wasn’t shy about it. I felt my bones popping as I changed into a man. I crossed my legs and glared at him.

  “I’d say some progress has been made with that cap.”

  Daxar just fell out laughing. “Now, that answers about a million questions about you being Francesca’s boyfriend. I’ll talk to Glinda, but she is like a woman possessed with this mission. In a few days, she’s going to call for Saffron and Francesca and use one of the staff to make a wish for the Flying Monkeys to appear. If you know anything about Glinda of the South, she usually gets what she wants. Right now, she wants the rightful heir back on the Oz throne. She won’t hesitate to use your people to get it either.”

  “What if you stole the cap and gave it to me? I’ll talk to my people about joining the fight.”

  “I would if I could, Idris. I don’t like this any better than you do. I’m Francesca’s best hope at completing her Sentinel training, and this school is the safest place for her and Saffron. If I get fired, someone might get put in charge that doesn’t know how to teach Francesca and won’t handle things when a stupid girl shoots an arrow at another student.”

  Daxar couldn’t steal the cap, but I could. I got what he was saying. He understood Francesca and could help her with her training. He couldn’t step in for me without sacrificing Francesca’s training. I felt my bones snapping as I changed back into a monkey. I stood and faced him.

  “Tell Glinda Francesca has figured out her little riddle about the Fisher King, so she’s going to actually have to do her job and teach history.”

  “How did she—”

  “If you haven’t figured it out by now, Francesca does whatever the fuck she wants. Don’t tell her she can’t do something because she’s going to go out and do it. I’m not sure why Glinda doesn’t want to do her job teaching, but she’s going to have to now.”

  Daxar gave me a curt nod. “I’ll let Glinda know, and history will resume as normal tomorrow. Please warn Francesca and Saffron that they will be called upon in a few days for a mission in the North to find the missing heir. Mombi is a tricky old witch, so we are going to need as many Sentinels as possible, even if they aren’t fully trained.”

  “Do you intend to inform Locasta of this mission? The North is pretty underrepresented at this school.”

  Daxar cleared his throat. “We’re hoping to do this without Locasta’s knowledge, but I can’t remember why.”

  “I intend to ask Glinda about the North in the next history lesson,” I warned.

  Daxar just chuckled. “Good luck getting a straight answer, Idris.”

  Chapter 27

  Frankie

  H

  istory was back on. Idris said he told Daxar I had news about the Fisher King when he went to have his little chat. Idris explained to me that was how it was done with the Flying Monkeys. A new husband was only brought in if everyone agreed on it, and he needed to talk to Daxar. I wasn’t mad at him. I was already asking a lot from Idris and Oprix.

  We’d taken to meeting Emari and Emarus at their dorm room and walking to class with them. We all got to history early and took the front row. We sat together all the time. Some of the other Quadlings had started sitting near us and being friendly.

  Dorothy’s little roof stunt hadn’t lost her any friends. In fact, the Munchkin we saved from falling to his death was sitting right next to her kissing her ass. He even had the nerve to shoot Saffron and me dirty looks when they came in. I swear, the Munchkins weren’t always like this. I used to like visiting the East with my mother. The East was one of the richest areas, but when we came to visit, the Munchkins always invited us to dinner and were gracious hosts. I had no idea if that spell turned them into little monsters’ intent on murdering my cousin and driving her mad here.

  Glinda was late. I guess she decided to make some epic entrance. She always did have a flair for the dramatic. She called the elements, and a hard wind flung the door open. She strode to the front of the room with a wind blowing her hair back and making her gown flutter. Was she trying to look fierce? It wasn’t like she could fight in that dress. She’d end up on her face with that long train.

  She whirled around to face us. “I hear Francesca has found out about the Fis
her King. Before you tell the class what you know, you’re going to tell us how you managed to find out anything at all,” she said, glaring at me.

  She knew about Galen. She had to. That was probably who she had Idris looking for. I was going to have to find a way to get Idris off the search without telling him about Galen.

  “You mean because forbidden magic was used to make Oz forget about him? I have my ways.”

  “Or a source,” she prodded.

  “We’re all here to learn history. If you’re refusing to teach history until impossible homework assignments are completed, then you don’t want to teach until someone tells you how they managed to finish the assignment, perhaps you could get us a history teacher who actually does want to teach class,” I said. “I think everyone signed up to come here to learn, and when you cancel the class for them to find out about something they are never going to learn because of forbidden magic, something tells me you don’t want to be teaching this class at all.”

  Glinda just glared at me. Oh, she was pissed! She couldn’t continue to sit there and force me to tell her about Galen now because I called her out in front of the whole class. She would have to teach us history now. I’d be able to see what version of history she intended on teaching, and I had several people here to back me up and call her out if she taught the wrong one.

  “Very well. Tell us what you learned about the Fisher King, Francesca.”

  “He’s not a book character from where Dorothy comes from. He really did exist; people just wrote about him later. He guarded a cup that granted immortality. He used to be a knight, and he had a grave wound. A knight named Percival came upon the Fisher King and spoke the words to heal his wound, but by then, the Fisher King was immortal and quite mad. He also had magic from the grail. He wanted more magic and managed to find his way to Oz. Apparently, he was a miserable bastard while he was here. I’m not sure what happened to him other than he can’t die, and a spell of forgetting was put on all of Oz.”

  “Very good. The Fisher King was the birth of the Sentinels. The Sentinels have protected Oz for hundreds of years. A similar spell of forgetting was done, and the Sentinels went from protectors of Oz, or they were either deemed Good or Wicked Witches. I know most of you are thinking it was the Wizard that cast this spell since he was instrumental in having the Sentinel in the West killed.

  “I don’t think this is the case. The Wizard had no magic. He had a lot of trickery, but no real magical powers. He sometimes used people with magic to get what he needed, but the spell of forgetting would have needed at least two Sentinel level magic practitioners. I think it’s safe to say since their own people turned against them, Adora and Azami didn’t cast the spell. I didn’t cast the spell. Locasta couldn’t have cast it on her own. The only logical explanation is that the Fisher King is slowly rising in power.”

  Dorothy was sitting there, waving her hand in their air like she was on fire. I didn’t even bother. I just spoke. Glinda was finally starting to speak the truth to the people here. I needed to know more about the Fisher King if he was responsible for my mother’s death.

  “What happened to the Fisher King in the end?” I demanded.

  “Five sorceresses came together to fight him. He was imprisoned beneath the earth, outside of the Nome King’s realm. His magic was bound, but since it didn’t come from Oz, they couldn’t take it away. There is a cave at the top of his prison. Four of the sorceresses who helped beat him went on to become the first Sentinels. The fifth stayed behind to guard the entrance to the cave because she was the strongest. The Fisher King has been silent for centuries. No one from outside of Oz has managed to come here since him until the Wizard showed up. I think the Fisher King became active again when the Wizard got here.”

  Dorothy was still waving her hand, but she really wanted her answer, so she just asked. “Please, what does that have to do with how I keep ending up here?”

  “The Fisher King wasn’t always immortal. He didn’t always have an injury to his groin. I am assuming before he was assigned to guard the grail, he had children. I think you and the Wizard are descendants of the Fisher King, and he’s calling you here. He wants to turn you to his side and grow his army.”

  The Munchkins gasped and scooted their seats away from Dorothy like she was covered in pustules. Dorothy looked like someone kicked that yappy little dog she always had with her. I only had one question.

  “How do we beat him?” I asked.

  “You can’t just yet. Francesca and Saffron are technically the Sentinels of the East and West. It is their birthright. I expect all of you to treat them with the respect due to their title. You know now their mothers were Sentinels and a spell made you forget this. You know what you did wrong to these girls. I’d try to apologize if you can.”

  The Munchkins were all focusing hard on their desks, and Dorothy was back to crying. I could deal with them later. Saffron beat me to it.

  “How do we beat him when the time is right?”

  “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Focus on your lessons for now. I’m coming up with a plan. I think the missing heir is a key piece to beating the Fisher King, or they wouldn’t be missing. We might be able to locate them soon.”

  Idris leaned over to whisper to me. “They intend to use the cap and call all of us, the Flying Monkeys, Saffron and you to find the missing heir.”

  I cracked my knuckles. I couldn’t wait.

  Chapter 28

  Frankie

  D

  axar sent word to me that we would have our lessons in his chambers instead of his office. I was nervous. What if he wanted sex? I wasn’t ready for that, and I wanted my first time to be with Idris or Oprix. I brought the lemon cakes up to his suite and he was dressed differently when I arrived. Normally, he dressed in perfect suits. Tonight, he was wearing black leather trousers and a vest. I tried not to stare at his biceps when they flexed as he took the tin of lemon cakes from me.

  He sighed and led me over to a sofa. “I’ve been told to interrogate you and ask you how you found out about the Fisher King. I’m guessing you won’t tell me, so let’s pretend I did and skip the unpleasantries. I want to try these cakes.”

  “I thought Glinda was your boss?” I asked, popping a piece of cake in my mouth. This batch had turned out way better than any of the previous batches I’d made.

  “She is. Oh, my word, Francesca. These cakes are amazing. Any time you want to get into the kitchens, just ask, and I’ll arrange it. I’d better stop, or I’m going to eat the entire tin.”

  “This batch turned out better than the previous batches. I think it’s because Oprix and I sang to it together.”

  He tucked one of my braids behind my ear. “Do you always sing when you cook?”

  I just shrugged. “My mother was a good singer, but she only ever did it when she was cooking. She used to sing me to sleep at night, but after I got to a certain age, she told me I was too old for it. I guess I always just did what she did and sang in the kitchen. You said Glinda did a knowledge transference spell. Do you know why Sentinels went from having husbands from all over Oz to where we are now? Glinda and Locasta aren’t married, and Saffron and I don’t know who are fathers are.”

  Daxar started playing with my braids. “That kind of relationship is difficult. You don’t just have to tolerate that many people in a relationship, but the men all have to be okay with sharing one woman. I think the Munchkins put their foot down first. The Munchkins said to pick just one, or you won’t have a Munchkin husband. Locasta has always had her Munchkin fans. She decided when the Munchkins were against it, the Gillikins weren’t allowed either. The Winkies have always been okay with it, and so have the Quadlings. It didn’t just used to be the Sentinels with multiple husbands.

  “At the time, the ruler of Oz was a king and a jealous man. He only had one wife, and he didn’t want more than one. He also didn’t want anyone else looking at his queen. He took a Quadling queen. You’ve met me, and I see you’ve made
Quadling friends. We’re probably the most open region in Oz when it comes to sexual experimentation, and there used to be a time Quadlings shared lovers.

  “The other regions in Oz weren’t as free as the South. The Munchkins have always been prudes, and the North has always thought the South was a bunch of deviants. When the Munchkins and the North said they didn’t want polygamy anymore, the king decided to make his move to prevent his Quadling wife from taking a lover. He outlawed it and made it punishable by death. That’s why the Sentinels don’t have multiple husbands. They might be strong women, but they aren’t above the law.”

  I gulped. My mother never told me this in my history lessons. She never really covered men or relationships with me in our private time either. Were all of us going to lose our heads for loving each other?

  Daxar just chuckled and kissed my knuckles. “Relax, Francesca. That was two hundred years ago. Oz has no ruler right now. When we find the missing heir, they might do away with that law. Besides, Quadlings kept doing what we’ve always been doing. We just didn’t put it on the official records as husband and wife.”

  “Do you have a wife and multiple lovers, Daxar?”

  Daxar just chuckled. “No, Francesca. Munchkins marry for money. Gillikins marry for property. The Winkies and the Quadlings have always married for love. I had playmates at the club when I was in the South, but nothing serious.”

  “Is that what I am to you? A playmate?”

  If that’s all I was, I needed to guard my heart against Daxar. I didn’t even know if I could play this game with him if that were all it was. He said I was the only one he intended to do this with here, but I was letting Daxar in. I was letting him inside in ways that required total trust, and I didn’t do that with a lot of people.

  Daxar cupped my face and gave me a gentle kiss. “You aren’t just a playmate, Francesca. You’re the most intriguing woman I’ve met in a long time. I know you worry about me breaking your heart, but you could easily break mine too.”