“How do I reach this…Wizard?”
The witch turns and gestures to a field just barely within sight. “Follow the Yellow Brick Road west. It will lead you to the Crossroads, the very center of Oz. From there, go south, following the signs to Emerald City.”
“Is it far?” I ask.
“Very far,” Mathian says. “And very dangerous.”
“That’s a bit of an exaggeration,” the witch starts.
I sidestep her to speak to the others. “How so?”
“The forest is brimming with beasts.” Aakin gestures wildly with his hands. “Some big. Some small. Some hard to detect at all.”
“And there’s the Witch of the West,” Mathian says.
“The what?”
“The wicked one,” Aakin adds.
“And the heartless man,” Cleo mutters.
I glance over at her. A strand of hair has fallen forward and sticks to the corner of her mouth. She swipes it back and avoids making eye contact.
“Who?”
It’s Aakin who answers. “The Tin Woodman.”
“Only the worst of the Oz mercenaries,” Mathias adds.
“He has no heart, you see.” Aakin taps at his chest. “You best steer clear of him. He’ll cut you down if you get in his way.”
“Is there any other route to reach the Wizard? Perhaps a different road?”
“There is no other way.” Lacosta comes forward but halts at the sound of barking.
The crowd freezes.
The barking gets closer.
“That’s Toto,” I explain. “He’s just a little dog,” I add because I’m starting to doubt these people know what dogs are by the way they’re reacting.
Toto appears in the broken screen door and barks at the group.
“He won’t hurt you—” I start to say, but the others turn around and run screaming.
“Good luck, Dorothy from Kansas. The Wizard, don’t forget. Go to the Wizard!” Lacosta gives a hasty wave and disappears in a flash of light.
I’m suddenly, staggeringly alone.
Toto trots over and sniffs at the pile of dust that was just moments ago a full-grown woman.A witch.
He whines.
“If they’re afraid of you,” I tell him, “maybe the forest beasts aren’t so bad. Maybe they’re just squirrels.”
He yips at me.
“How did you get out of Em’s chest?” I ask.
