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But nothing seemed to fix his problem of inconsistency.

So his lessons were moved from morning to night and soon the crowds thinned as the novelty of him wore off.

Finally, he could practice in solitude.

The magic came easier and quicker.

His confidence grew.

His notoriety traveled.

Possibility hovered on the horizon.

But then one day, the gods were gone and Oz was surrounded on all sides by an impassable desert. The panic was immediate and people were looking for someone to blame. Some of them even blamed him. The boy with power, the abomination.

The Wizard had never known an Oz in turmoil, but he could sense it now, like a ghost trailing a finger down the column of his neck.

Unrest spread like a disease.

The witches blamed the royals and the royals blamed the witches.

But the witches had something the royals did not: a galvanizing message.

The gods disappeared while the royals sat on the throne.

The desert appeared while the royals sat on the throne.

Famine had spread while the royals sat on the throne.

All of it pointed to one undeniable fact: The royal family had lost the favor of the gods. And so they must be removed.

The Wizard’s mother called him home.

He was forced to make a choice: Should he stay with the family that had taught him and shaped him and made him one of their own? Or abandon them when even the gods had turned their backs on them?

He had thought only his magic would be tested.

Loyalty had never crossed his mind.

But in the end, it didn’t matter.

Loyalty was a mirage when you were destined for greatness.

ONETinman

A hand slaps me awake. When I peel my eyes open, it feels like sand is packed beneath my lids, making my eyeballs sting.

Before I can orient myself, my brother’s name burns on the tip of my tongue. But I cannot speak it. He stole that from me too, right along with my heart. The Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz.

I try to move and am immediately reminded of the feebleness of my mortal body. My joints are all locked up, muscle and bone useless.

No amount of willpower will get me off this stone floor and back on my feet.

“Tinman.” Faos’s dry rasp sounds above me and a second later, his sturdy feet appear in my line of sight.

“Faos. I … need…”

“Drink.” He brings a steel mug to my lips.