"Frank Ozella's fundraising ball," Toto whispers.
"Why do you hate me?" I groan and stare out the window. "Honestly, I thought you were going to say it was for the reunion, but I think this might be worse."
"No, Dottie! The reunion isn't for weeks. And I'm not catering it. Or planning to go at all." Toto sighs, and her voice is weary as she continues, "Somebody's been poaching all my workers, and I'm desperate for help."
"They're all quitting?" That doesn't sound right. Toto is a fantastic boss, and her food is superb. And she does it all without the magic that the famous chefs in the city use. She's a food genius, and a few years ago, everyone was clamoring to work with her.
"Yeah. It's like I'm on a secret banned list or something. If I lose any more of my workers, I won't be able to handle events. I've kept enough to get by, but barely. Which is where you come in," Toto finishes with a hopeful lilt to her tone.
I sigh, remembering how entering this world is like a punch in the gut. The wizards are constantly vying for power, but most of the land simply wants to be left alone to live their lives in peace.Ten years ago, I had no idea what I was walking into. This time I do, and it's only slightly less jarring.
“I wouldn't have called you, but... I need you." Toto's small voice penetrates my thoughts, and I force myself to focus on my friend.
“Of course,” I nod, even though she can’t see me. “Look, I’m near the Enchanted Forest right now. Should I meet you somewhere?”
"Ooh! That means you're already at the Quadling border."
The unmistakable sound of Toto clapping her hands in delight brings a smile to my face for the first time since she told me she needed me to come back. Hell, maybe for the first time since I left this place ten years ago. We email somewhat regularly, but reception to the outside world is unreliable, at best. I've missed my friend.
"Yes, I'm passing into the Quadlings’ area now." I sigh heavily. "I’ll help you with whatever you need tomorrow night, Toto."Even if it kills me.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe you." Toto says gratefully. "I have to go, but I'll stop by tonight to bring you the uniform. You're staying with the guys, right?"
Uniform?"Yes. Sounds good. I'll see you then."
I hang up and pull out onto the gleaming yellow bricks, shaking my head at the fact that I’m smack dab in the middle of a magical land again. It’s hard to explain Oz to anyone on the outside. But my stomach flips with excitement at the thought of seeing Toto and the guys again. I've been lonely in the non-magical world without my friends.
"You're certainly not in Kansas anymore," I muse aloud.
And maybe that's a good thing.
Because Kansas hasn't felt like home in ten years.
Chapter two
Maddox
"Iwant it twenty stories tall!" my father's grating voice bellows from the front lounge. It echoes through the foyer, bounces off the cold marble, and assaults my eardrums like a machine gun.
The house is abuzz with Quadlings, Munchkins, and Winkies all hustling to create a grand ball for tomorrow night.
"Merlin had a fucking fireworks display at his fundraiser," my father snaps at the poor soul on the other end of the phone.The clink of crystal signals that he's starting at the bar cart early today.
A young Quadling woman scurries past the door to the lounge. She jumps when my father barks into the phone again, furious about whatever bad news he’s received.
"I don't give a fuck who you have to blow to get it right. Get down on your pretty little knees and open wide, sweetheart."
I clench my teeth so hard that they creak from the pressure. Less than forty-eight hours since I returned home, and I'm on the verge of a heart attack thanks to the rage I have to swallow every time my father spits out another caustic gem. Eyeing the front door, I quickly weigh the cost of walking out and riding my motorcycle to freedom. Back to my old life. It was simple and non-magical, but it was mine.
"I swear to God, Mira, if I don't win this election, I will scorch the fucking earth." My father's voice takes on a bitter, petulant whine now he's off the phone.
Why didn’t whoever he was screaming at question the great and powerful Oz’s inability to handle this himself? Although knowing my father, he probably communicated that it was beneath him rather than beyond his realm of magical abilities. He's built a carefully stacked house of cards over the years, maintaining a legion of minions who do his bidding without revealing that he has barely any magical power.
"Have a drink, dear." My mother's gentle voice floats through the open doorway, and I can tell she's started drinking early. Or she's taken her happy pills this morning.
Beautiful, smart, and extremely powerful, my mother was my father's greatest prize. It was a coup when he convinced her to marry him. Don't get me wrong, the Ozella family is old money, going back to the days of the original wizards, but the Boncharme side of my family is both wealthy and powerful. Mymother's family built an empire,Boncharme Wellness, and my father has been scheming to control it since day one.
My grandfathers were best friends once upon a time, and the match between my mother and father was made before either of them was born. But Grandfather Ozella, the original great and powerful Oz, had nothing but disdain for his eldest-born son, a fact my father knew all too well. It bred cruelty, competition, and an insufferable ego. It created a monster.
