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“Yes.”

“How many?”

He shrugs and lifts his bottle of ale. “Probably six.”

“Six trees?”

He drinks, burps.

I sigh.

“Chopping down six trees in a place called the Ancient Forest sounds like it will take me months, and furthermore, it feels sacrilegious to chop down something with the distinction of ‘ancient.’”

“These trees aren’t ancient, they’re just in the Ancient Forest. They’re barely teenagers.”

“Somehow chopping down teenage trees doesn’t make it better.”

He rolls his eyes. “They’re out of control. They’re like angry geese chasing everyone out of the forest. They need to be dealt with.”

“Okay, but still … is there some magic trick to chopping down six trees?”

He shrugs. “You’ll have to figure it out.”

I grumble and push away from the table. “Are you coming with me or staying here?”

He leans back and props his boots on the nearest chair, crossing his legs at the ankles. “It’s so very warm here.”

“Fine. I’ll figure it out myself.”

“That’s the spirit.”

As I leave the Red Wander, I can’t help but wonder why I ever wanted a father in the first place.

We gather at the East Gate in Glimming Hollow, the same gate Rook and I first entered after I found him tied to a pole in a cornfield.

Basil told me that if we exited on the east side and then cut north, we’d save at least an hour on our trip.

When I meet him there, I find a cavalry lined up on the Yellow Brick Road and all of them are wearing arm bands with bright red poppies embroidered into the material.

All my life, poppies were my favorite flower. Edward even promised me a field of them back in Kansas, knowing how happy they made me.

And now I can’t help but wonder if subconsciously, I gravitated toward them because of my life in Oz before the West took me away.

Remy comes over, guiding a familiar brown horse behind.

“Sabil!” I shout.

The horse nickers, and I wrap my arms around her neck, burying my face into her ruff.

“Figured you might need her,” Remy says.

I don’t bother to tell them I have other means of transportation, because I’m happy to see Sabil. She helped me escape from the provost’s mansion when we were under attack by rogue guards and then again when Tin had arrived at the Red Wander to kidnap me.

I consider us officially bonded at this point and she couldn’t be rid of me if she tried.

“Are you coming?” I ask Remy.

“No. It’s hard for me to get away from the inn.”