West – one of the most feared villains of all time – and she was treating him as an equal. Even worse, the two seemed to be becoming friends.
"You say all of Oz is controlled by this man in your world," the Witch said, repeating information Douglas had already conveyed. "Anything he writes in his book there ... happens here ?" Douglas nodded, smiling until she batted him away with her hand. "Then he's already given me everything I want," the Witch said. "Why do I need you?"
She was right. Douglas caught Randy's eye and frowned. The two kids from his class had stirred up a lot of trouble for Douglas when they decided to take a little jaunt into Oz. How was he supposed to deal with the Witch if she didn't think she needed any help? He was struggling to find a strategy until he realized that she had already bought into the idea she had no real control over her actions. He'd held similar meetings, convincing characters like the Witch they lacked control was usually the most difficult part. At least he'd done that.
"You have what you want. For now. But you don't know how the book ends. Baum wrote fourteen books about Oz. You know how many he put you in?" The Witch watched Douglas raise a single finger. "If your rule of this land's to last, don't you think you'd exist beyond the first book?"
"Bah!" the Witch jeered. "Who's heard of such things? Books that come true? I'll take my chances before shaking hands with some outlander in strange clothes that's come to me with such tall tales."
Douglas stepped toward her. "You're skeptical," he said softly. "I understand. I do. I'm a stranger in your land, and you have no reason to trust me. Not one. But what if you're wrong? If you listen to me and I'm wrong, you've lost nothing. But if you ignore me and I'm right ..."
Her bulging eye went to the pistol sitting on a stone table nearby. "You can grant me this power?" she asked with a nod toward the gun.
"I can arm every one of your guards with a noisemaker like this one. And there's more where that came from. My world is home to weapons you can't imagine. Bigger. Louder. You'll have access to them all. You're rule in Oz will never end. I guarantee it."
Her expression gave nothing away. Until, finally—
"Fine," she said. "What is it you want from me?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
EVERYONE SAT IN a circle around a fire the village children had built. Nearly a dozen pale kids had come out of hiding, first scavenging food from the general store then nestling in with Taylor and Wesley to hear the Tinman's tale – a story that began just after his heartfelt reunion with his fiancé, the Munchkin Maiden.
"We left shortly after the two of you went home," the Tinman told Taylor and Wes. "We were ready to put all of Oz between us and that dreadful woman in the woods." He looked into the darkness beyond. "We hoped to get as far as we could before sunset, but the sky turned black long before it rightly should. Storm clouds rolled in from the horizon. Lighting flashed. Thunder rolled. It was unlike any storm I'd ever seen. Flowers at our feet began to wilt. Plants withered before our eyes. Then... it was so strange... it was like... the end days. Everything around us began to fade. The whole world turned the color of ash."
Taylor cringed. His story was starting to sound strangely familiar.
"The earth began to quake beneath us." His voice wavered. "I couldn't stay on my feet." He looked at Nell in Taylor's lap. "Your father did a fine job building this metal body, but my balance is nothing like it once was." His words quickened. "I told my fiancé to leave me behind, but she wouldn't. We started back for the cabin. We had to get out of the storm, even if it meant confronting the old woman again. I fell a dozen times along the way, but my love was always there to pick me up." He hung his head. "Every single time, she was there to catch me when I fell."
"How long did the quake last?" Hope asked.
"Not long," the Tinman said. "It was over by
"You say all of Oz is controlled by this man in your world," the Witch said, repeating information Douglas had already conveyed. "Anything he writes in his book there ... happens here ?" Douglas nodded, smiling until she batted him away with her hand. "Then he's already given me everything I want," the Witch said. "Why do I need you?"
She was right. Douglas caught Randy's eye and frowned. The two kids from his class had stirred up a lot of trouble for Douglas when they decided to take a little jaunt into Oz. How was he supposed to deal with the Witch if she didn't think she needed any help? He was struggling to find a strategy until he realized that she had already bought into the idea she had no real control over her actions. He'd held similar meetings, convincing characters like the Witch they lacked control was usually the most difficult part. At least he'd done that.
"You have what you want. For now. But you don't know how the book ends. Baum wrote fourteen books about Oz. You know how many he put you in?" The Witch watched Douglas raise a single finger. "If your rule of this land's to last, don't you think you'd exist beyond the first book?"
"Bah!" the Witch jeered. "Who's heard of such things? Books that come true? I'll take my chances before shaking hands with some outlander in strange clothes that's come to me with such tall tales."
Douglas stepped toward her. "You're skeptical," he said softly. "I understand. I do. I'm a stranger in your land, and you have no reason to trust me. Not one. But what if you're wrong? If you listen to me and I'm wrong, you've lost nothing. But if you ignore me and I'm right ..."
Her bulging eye went to the pistol sitting on a stone table nearby. "You can grant me this power?" she asked with a nod toward the gun.
"I can arm every one of your guards with a noisemaker like this one. And there's more where that came from. My world is home to weapons you can't imagine. Bigger. Louder. You'll have access to them all. You're rule in Oz will never end. I guarantee it."
Her expression gave nothing away. Until, finally—
"Fine," she said. "What is it you want from me?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
EVERYONE SAT IN a circle around a fire the village children had built. Nearly a dozen pale kids had come out of hiding, first scavenging food from the general store then nestling in with Taylor and Wesley to hear the Tinman's tale – a story that began just after his heartfelt reunion with his fiancé, the Munchkin Maiden.
"We left shortly after the two of you went home," the Tinman told Taylor and Wes. "We were ready to put all of Oz between us and that dreadful woman in the woods." He looked into the darkness beyond. "We hoped to get as far as we could before sunset, but the sky turned black long before it rightly should. Storm clouds rolled in from the horizon. Lighting flashed. Thunder rolled. It was unlike any storm I'd ever seen. Flowers at our feet began to wilt. Plants withered before our eyes. Then... it was so strange... it was like... the end days. Everything around us began to fade. The whole world turned the color of ash."
Taylor cringed. His story was starting to sound strangely familiar.
"The earth began to quake beneath us." His voice wavered. "I couldn't stay on my feet." He looked at Nell in Taylor's lap. "Your father did a fine job building this metal body, but my balance is nothing like it once was." His words quickened. "I told my fiancé to leave me behind, but she wouldn't. We started back for the cabin. We had to get out of the storm, even if it meant confronting the old woman again. I fell a dozen times along the way, but my love was always there to pick me up." He hung his head. "Every single time, she was there to catch me when I fell."
"How long did the quake last?" Hope asked.
"Not long," the Tinman said. "It was over by
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