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But the way she’s acting, it’s not like she’s afraid of the trees, but nervous about something else.

And then I hear it—a loud march of boots.

I turn to the left, and in the near distance, a line of soldiers marches closer with Rook at the head.

My army is not as big as his, and only half of them are trained soldiers.

Sabil spins, putting us head-on with Rook as if she means to charge him.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I tell her.

The Cardinal Command comes to a stop three hundred yards from the Ancient Forest and Ty and his soldiers.

Across the clearing, I sense Rook’s attention on me and then suddenly he’s standing in front of me.

I quickly slide off Sabil and give her hind a smack. She darts off toward Basil.

“Kansas,” Rook says.

“What are you doing here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“This is rightfully mine,” I say and gesture at the sentient trees, even though I’m not sure I believe it. Not yet.

“You’ve barely begun to understand Oz. Let alone its power.”

“And you think you understand it?”

A breeze blows across the clearing, ruffling his hair. He’s dressed all in black in a form-fitting jacket with thick padding along the shoulders. The golden hilt of a dagger sticks out of the sleeve of the jacket, and his newly acquired axe is strapped to his back. But unlike Tin, Rook wears his with the handle sticking up, the axe head pointing down.

“I think I understand it better than you do. Considering you’ve only just arrived.”

“Have you stopped to wonder if maybe that’s a good thing? I’m not bogged down by the politics and the perception of it all.”

He laughs through his nose, his shoulders lifting. “The perception.”

“I know you want to be seen as powerful.”

“I am powerful.”

It’s the first time I’ve really seen him lose his temper.

“But Gabriel is dead.”

“Because of you.”

I take the hit, absorbing the rush of guilt and shame that comes with it.

“I’m sorry,” I say, and the apology makes him take a step back. “I didn’t mean for it to happen. I didn’t know Gabriel, but I know how important he was to you and Tin. I wish he wouldn’t have been a casualty of all of this. Whatever this thing is.”

His Adam’s apple sinks.

“I thought you could have saved him.”

“Yeah, well, I couldn’t.”

But you’re the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz, I want to say. But I can tell he is already drowning in his guilt. I won’t add to it.