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“Silas tried freeing me. Why didn’t you?”

An excellent question and one I knew might come up. I probably could have had him out in a week, maybe a month if the West was really determined.

But the truth is, Glinda asked me not to and it was just a few short years ago when I was more amenable to her requests.

She also failed to tell me, until just recently, that Gabriel might have the ability to find the gods.

We may be at odds at this point, but I still think our goal is the same. She and I have always had one driving need in common: power, because power means survival.

And with Gabriel in the West’s dungeon, Glinda was free to burn her source for magic.

But I can’t tell my baby brother that. I won’t be the one to crush him.

“The West hated me,” I say. “She was never willing to budge.”

All true things. But not the full truth.

He picks at the bottle’s label again. “So … just go outside and start wandering?”

“Exactly. And see where it leads you.”

“I suppose I can do that.”

I give him another squeeze and then get up from the table. “I’ll check in on you later.”

“Where are you going?”

I grab a few more grapes, let them roll around in the palm of my hand. “I need to see a girl about a wedding.”

“What?” he asks. “For you?”

Shrugging, I make my way for the door. “Time will tell.”

ELEVENDorothy

The Tinman leads the way through the forest of Oz. There’s no discernible path, but he seems to know which way he’s going even as the dark grows darker as we near night. I stumble after him, trying to be quiet, but sticks and roots and acorns litter the ground. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells.

Every few minutes, I check over my shoulder, expecting to see Rook or a winged monkey, or something worse. I don’t know what would be worse, but I’m guessing Oz is a place with many fantastical beasts, and it’s only a matter of time before I come face-to-face with one.

Back on the farm, the most I had to worry about was storm season, a broken fence, or the occasional coyote.

Every twig snap or acorn drop in the surrounding darkness sends my adrenaline spiking and my heart racing. I have to keep repeating in my head, you’re safe, you’re safe, but deep down I don’t believe it and my brain knows it.

“What was he like when you were kids?” I ask, trying to drive away some of the unsettling silence that hangs in the air.

“Who?”

“Rook. The Wizard.”

Tin glances at me over his shoulder. “Why?”

“I don’t know. I’m just trying to understand him better.”

But I am ravenous for so much more of him and maybe if I sate that hunger, I can stop thinking about him every second of the day.

“He was a pain in the ass.”

“Did you ever get along?”