It didn’t feel like she was lying to me, but a lot of what she was saying wasn’t making sense. The Wizard was a fraud. He had no magic. He was from the same place Dorothy was.
“I’m sorry, but if the Wizard was a sham and had no powers, how did he defeat one of us and steal his child? How has that child not been found if they have pink hair? That would stand out anywhere in Oz.”
“It’s a tragedy, to be sure,” Glinda sighed. “The king’s wife died in childbirth. The Wizard and whoever was helping him struck while our ruler was in mourning and killed him in his sleep. They magicked the child away, and I would assume have some sort of glamour on them, so they appear more Gillikin.”
“Could it have been Mombi that cast the spell of forgetting with Locasta?” Saffron asked.
Glinda just laughed. “No. Locasta hates her, and Mombi is not strong enough for that kind of magic.”
It just hit me. Something Glinda wasn’t thinking about when she wanted us to go charging into the North.
“The heir would be. If the heir has been in the North since they were a baby, there’s no telling how they’ve been raised. They could have been taught the other Sentinels were evil and convinced to cast that spell with Locasta.”
This look passed over Glinda’s face like she hadn’t even considered the one person she’d put all her hopes into had turned against us. She quickly recovered, and her face went back a serene calm.
“We still have to try. Even if it’s just sneaking into the North to observe and see if the heir is an enemy, we have to try. Idris, we will not be using the cap for this, but I would like you to come in your other form. Stealth is important. No one in the North can know we were there. We will use magic to get to Mombi’s shack. She’s no match for me, but I want Francesca and Saffron to back me up. I want Idris and Oprix tearing that shack apart looking for any signs another person has been living with her. If she has the heir, she will be keeping them close. If they are not with her, then there is a good chance Locasta got her hands on them.”
“When do we leave?” I demanded.
“Tomorrow night. It will be a Blood Moon and a cloudy night. It will give us greater cover in the dark,” Daxar said. “I’ll be with you.”
Frabess just smiled. “I know the North, so I’ll be with you too.”
“You’re not loyal to Locasta? I thought everyone in the North loved her.”
Frabess just gave me this wicked grin. I thought I liked her. I knew Saffron did.
“Under that old biddy face is a passive-aggressive twat if she thinks you have stronger magic than she does. She’s talked down to my family for years, but she does it in a way that the people around her think she's sweet to us.”
I just laughed. Frabess was blunt and said what she thought. I didn’t think she played games. Yeah, I liked her as a tutor for Saffron, and I wouldn’t mind fighting right alongside her. I realized Dorothy had started weeping again. Why was she always crying?
“I’m sorry. I have no magic, and I can’t fight. I apparently killed the wrong person five years ago. I shouldn’t be here.”
She pushed back her chair and fled the rooftop again.
Glinda just sighed. “I know what that child has done to both of you. When we get back, will you please make an effort to talk to her? I think it would heal all three of you. Dorothy just had a lot dropped on her, and her friends have turned against her. I’m asking you to be the bigger woman and make the first move. Just try to talk to her. That’s all I ask.”
I just grumped. There was nothing she could possibly say to me to make it better, and I didn’t want to discuss it. All I could see when I looked at her was my mother’s dead body, and she didn’t seem sorry for it at all. She felt sorry for herself right now because she lost her friends and found out she might be related to the Fisher King, but I didn’t think she was the least bit sorry for what she did to me or Saffron.
Chapter 34
Frankie
W
e were excused from class the next morning, and Glinda told us to take all our meals in our room. Saffron and I had a lot of work to do. Glinda had a work table and ingredients brought to us. We had to make enough invisibility potion and teleportation powder for everyone in our room. It was going to take a good bit of powder to get to the North, and we were going to need extra stores of invisibility potion because it would eventually wear off.
Idris was pacing without his shirt on as usual. “I’d feel better flying in as a monkey. It’s weird traveling by teleportation power when I’ve got perfectly good wings. The Flying Monkeys know how to do stealth.”
I stepped away from the powder I was grinding to give him a gentle kiss. “I know that perfectly well, but I’m not in charge of this mission. Glinda is the one arranging everything, and she wants us all to teleport into Mombi’s sitting room.”
“Don’t you think that’s a stupid idea?” Oprix asked. “Teleporting right into the sitting room of someone Locasta is scared of and might be working with the Fisher King?”
I shook my head. “My mother covered Mombi in my history. She’s not strong in magic, but she trades ingredients in the underground black market that seems to be rampant in the North. Mombi experiments in hexes and dirty magic. She’s not strong enough for the Fisher King to approach her. She’s who you go to when you want your neighbor to break into pustules, or you don’t like your nose and you want a better one.”
“Could she give me a massive cock?” Idris said, nibbling on my lower lip.
“How much bigger do you want it? You forget, I’ve seen you naked.”
“Mine’s big too!” Oprix said.
“Well, whip it out so we can compare,” Idris said.
I wanted to see Oprix naked too. I didn’t want to compare their cocks, but I wanted to feel both of them. This was not the right time. I didn’t need them whipping out their cocks and measuring them while I was grinding delicate ingredients for teleportation powder. It had always been a huge source of pride with me that, in my entire time learning magic, I’d never once had a potion or powder explode in my face. I wasn’t about to start now because Idris and Oprix had something to prove.
“Does it really matter how big it is?” I asked. “Doesn’t it just matter how you use it? If you’re going to be whipping your cocks out, go do it somewhere else. I’m not getting my eyebrows singed off because that’s something you care about, and I don’t.”
Idris just flexed his biceps at me. “We just want to distract you with our massive cocks.”
“Can you leave your cocks in your pants until I’m not dealing with volatile ingredients?”
“Leave it, Idris. It would be a shame to mess up Frankie’s perfect eyebrows.”
“I don’t want to mess up her braids either. I’m just saying, when we beat Mombi and find the missing heir, we should all get naked together.”
“Idris,” Oprix warned.
I nearly missed throwing in a pinch of moon salt because I was thinking about getting naked with them. That definitely would have made the powder ignite the next time I set to grinding. I set the mortar down, crossed my arms, and glared at them.
“Okay, no more cock talk until I’m done with this power.”
“Please,” Saffron moaned. “I’m so tired of hearing about your dicks.”
Saffron has just tested out her last batch of invisibility potion and was currently invisible, so I’d forgotten she was in the room because she was so quiet, and I couldn’t see her.
“Stop talking about your dicks in front of my sixteen-year-old cousin. And you, Saffron. Make yourself visible again. You’re spying.”
I knew what she was doing. She wanted to watch the three of us together for some reason. Whether it was tips for Emarus or just to make sure I was happy, I didn’t know. But she knew better.
Saffron slowly came back into view and smiled at me. “I was waiting to see when you would notice. I was trying out something. Relax, Frankie. I wasn’t spying. If you add powdered agate a
t the same time as the blondewood shavings, it makes the potion last longer.”
That was—that was actually genius. What I wanted to do was go across the room and give her a huge hug, but I had this powder that needed to be ground, or it would be ruined. Oprix took care of that for me. He scooped Saffron up and spun her around. She squealed and laughed as he set her down.
Idris got down on one knee in front of her and kissed her knuckle. “We all bow down to the Princess of Potions.”
Saffron let out a shy giggle. “You are all so silly.”
“You are amazing, Saffron. How long does it work?” I asked.
“I tried it on the second batch, so about an hour.”
I must be slipping. Saffron had been invisible for an hour, and I didn’t notice? Was I neglecting her?
“Any side effects?” Idris asked.
Saffron just laughed. “None. Get that look off your face, Frankie. If I had wanted you to see and hear me, you would have. Stealth, remember? We’ve been trained for this. I wanted to make sure it would work.”
“I’m proud of you. You know that? You’re amazing, Saffron. You’re going to make an awesome Sentinel.”
She flushed pink. “I was just experimenting. It could have blown up in my face.”
“No, it wouldn’t have. You’ve always had this gift for potions and flying. It was you that got to that Munchkin first because you’re the faster flyer. Don’t make me get Emarus in here to get you to take a compliment.”
Saffron focused on her potions again. “Can Idris and Oprix go back to talking about their dicks? You’re embarrassing me a little.”
I knew the conversation was over, but we weren’t going there. I was done with the first batch of teleportation powder. I started funneling it into vials. I put a cork into one and waved it at Idris and Oprix.
“If you’re going to be whipping your dicks out, you aren’t doing it here. I mean it. Saffron and I have work to do.”
Chapter 35
Frankie
I
t was the moment of truth. We were all gathered on the rooftop waiting to teleport to the North. I couldn’t see him, but I could sense Galen out there. Why was he so close? Idris could find him and bring him to Glinda, and I couldn’t do a damned thing to stop him. Oddly, I seemed to be the only one who could sense him. Everyone else seemed to think we were alone.
Frabess gave the coordinates for Mombi’s shack. I had my sword strapped to my waist, and Saffron had her bow and arrows slung around her shoulders. Oprix always preferred the staff, so he had one in his hands. Idris was deadly with his bare hands, so he had no weapons. Glinda was still in a gown, but she had her scythe with her. Daxar has a sword like me. Ixius and Frabess both had bows.
Oprix and Idris had both traveled by teleportation powder before. It was tricky your first time. The first time I learned to make it, I snuck it out of our lab and tried to teleport us to a Winkie dive and got us totally lost. Idris ended up on one side of the West, and Oprix ended up on the other. I had to teleport home and tell my mother what I had done. Idris just flew home, but Oprix was scared and lost in a bad part of the West. I got into so much trouble.
Despite what happened, they wanted to do it again. They wanted to learn how to do it right. Idris couldn’t carry both of us, and I couldn’t carry Oprix. It would be easier to travel by teleportation power if we wanted to go deep into the West. Making a powder to get all the way across Oz was tricky, and I wasn’t capable of it until I was much older. It also took several hours to get it just right. That was the only reason I didn’t make it to take Oprix with us to the East when we were telling Saffron about the school. It would have taken too long.
We all had packs strapped to our backs. Everyone had three doses of teleportation powder and ten vials of invisibility potion. They didn’t have Saffron’s gift with potions, but we packed extra just in case. There was one dose to get to Mombi, one dose to try to get to Locasta’s castle to spy, and one dose to teleport home. If, at any time, we ran out of invisibility potion, we were to teleport home.
I was handing everything out to my group when Daxar came over to us. “All of you are with my group,” he said with a devious smile.
I would have thought Glinda wanted us with her, but I would have rather been with Daxar. I trusted him more, and it just felt right to have all of us working together. Glinda was working with Frabess and Ixius. Daxar didn’t touch me around everyone else, but I could have done with his strong arm around me. He just nodded at Idris.
“It’s time to change into a man. You have your monkey if you need him.”
I didn’t want Galen to know Idris could change into a man. I didn’t know why, but it felt like he shouldn’t know. Idris didn’t know Galen’s secret, so it felt like Galen shouldn’t know his. I was almost certain Galen heard. I could feel him like he was right next to me. I heard Idris’ bone snap as he changed back into a man, then we were ready to go.
We all sprinkled ourselves with invisibility potion, then held the vials of teleportation powder over our heads. We were all used to the purple smoke that developed when you threw the vial of teleportation powder at your feet. I felt a little yank, and then I was standing in the middle of a disgusting little shack.
It was rickety and made of wood. It stunk to high heaven. It smelled like bad magic in here. Bad magic smelled like someone left rotting meat in the sun in a skein of sheep’s milk to curdle. I was trying not to gag as I took in my surroundings.
Mombi was definitely into some bad shit. There were totems all over the walls that definitely meant evil things. Mombi was sitting at her kitchen table, sipping tea. She just cocked an eyebrow at us. Old Mombi was ugly as sin. She had a hook nose and wild gray and brown hair that stuck up everywhere. She must hate humidity because it was a cool night and it was frizzing anyway. She was covered in warts, and her lips were a thin slash across her face.
She even had an unpleasant voice. “Whatever you’re here for, I didn’t do it.”
Glinda came out the back of the shack. She was going to try to teleport to the bedrooms, but there was only one. Mombi just eyed her glamorous gown.
“Well, well. The Good Witch of the South. To what do I have the honor?”
“We’re looking for your ward.”
I saw a small look of panic flash over Mombi’s face before she hid it. “What do you want with that useless boy anyway? Tip ran away and stole some valuable magic with him. He was going to Emerald City. You made a trip for nothing.”
I saw her hand inching for a vial next to her tea. I didn’t know what was in it, but I knew Mombi’s idea of valuable magic and mine were totally different. Her idea of valuable magic maimed and hexed. I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of her hexes.
I was on her in seconds with my sword at her neck. “Touch that vial, and you’ll lose your head.”
Mombi just clucked her tongue. “Can’t be upset with an old witch for defending herself. You did break into my house. Tip is worthless to you. He can hardly manage household chores. He has no magic.”
Idris just huffed. “We’ll see about that. Glinda, there was only one bedroom in here? Then, I’m guessing that pallet in the corner is for Tip. Maybe we can find something of his.”
“Old Mombi is a poor woman. We don’t have much. Tip took his meager belongings when he ran away. You won’t find anything of his.”
That didn’t stop Idris and Oprix from tearing the small area in the corner where Tip slept apart. Mombi was bitching the entire time about them making a mess. Something wasn’t right. I wasn’t feeling magic here like she had been hiding a missing heir if they were as powerful as the Sentinels.
Oprix popped up like he had found gold, but he looked confused. “I found a hair, but it’s brown, like the Gillikins.”
I wanted to check it out, but I didn’t trust Mombi if I took my sword from her throat. Daxar was standing right behind Mombi like he would snap her neck if she made a move for my sword. Frabess and Ixius
were just kind of standing around until Frabess went on high alert.
“We need to get out of here. Locasta must have stepped up her wards. Teleportation didn’t use to trigger them, but the alarms have gone off that someone is doing magic here.”
No one felt the need to tell me Locasta had a magical alarm system when we came in? I shot a look at Daxar because he was supposed to be the one I trusted the most out of my group.
“I’ll explain later. Grab Mombi. We’ll teleport her back to Emerald City and try to find this Tip.”
Oz might not have had an army, but apparently, Locasta did. I felt magic as someone teleported outside the cabin. There was pounding on the door as men demanded we come out with our hands up. Mombi just started laughing like a madwoman.
“Now!” Glinda yelled.
Daxar grabbed Mombi and threw his teleportation powder. I wouldn’t feel safe until I saw my entire group got out. I saw Oprix, Idris, and Saffron throw their powders. Someone kicked the door in just as I threw mine at my feet.
Chapter 36
Daxar
T
hat stubborn girl! Where was she? Saffron, Idris, and Oprix were all back, and there was no sign of Francesca. If something happened to her, I would burn the entire North to the ground. I shoved Mombi to Ixius and reached for my pack. We never went to Locasta’s, so I should have one more teleportation powder left. I raised it above my head.
“Daxar, wait!” Glinda yelled.
“They have Francesca!” I yelled back, breaking the powder at my feet. I was back in the shack in seconds, surrounded by Locasta’s soldiers. Francesca wasn’t there. Where had they taken her? I’d kill all of them except one, and then I’d torture him for information.
The soldiers all surrounded me with swords. I raised mine. Mombi’s shack was small, and they could only fit five of them in here. It was cramped. I had no idea how many were outside.
Sentinels of Oz: A Reverse Harem Academy Romance (Emerald City Academy Book 1) Page 15