Page 23 of There's No Place Like Oz

I couldn’t help but laugh at that.Fuck, I DID like him. “Grunhilda was more about manipulation. Her only joy came from turning people against each other and watching them fight. She had the munchkins wrapped around her wart covered fingers.”

A ghost of a smile reflected in the tin man’s eyes as he lightly brushed my arm with his fingertips.

“Speaking of manipulative…” We shared a silent laugh between us. “Fine, you win. We’ll check on the girl.” I sighed, though the grin on my face betrayed the sentiment.

“Weird name for my dick, but sure.” One last roll of my eyes, and I turned my attention back to the woods that blackened the yellow brick road. I supposed that, whether I cared about her wellbeing or not, Iwouldhave to find her to retrieve her shoes if she did get murdered in there. It was inevitable that I’d have to go back for her, so no reason to overthink it. I would stay by her side until the exact moment I didn’t have to, and not a moment more.

The gentle hum of the jungle resonated from the darkness like it was a record player projecting nature’s melody. The soft chirps of birdsong, the rustling of leaves, and the trickle of flowing streams was deceptively peaceful. Though I hadn’t picked up on any Kalidah while we traversed the road, so I couldn’t imagine that was what got her. Their growl was rather distinct in its wavering pitches to the point it would be impossible to mistake them for any other creature. I wouldn’t profess to know all the beasts that roam Oz, but I certainly knew all the deadly ones.

I’d resolved to take my first step when a hint of gold appeared in the nearby shadows. A wild animal of a man, wearing furs and patterns of tribal ink, paced into clear view. He had the presence of a shifter, but… there hadn’t been any beast men around the Eastern lands in decades as far as I was aware. If there had been, Hildy would have surely sent me to fetch one.Curious.

Behind him was that familiar glint of black—the dog, of course—and in Tobias’ arms was Dorothy, nestled comfortably against his chest like a newlywed bride.

Adorable. So precious I might gag.

I settled on Dorothy, who despite resting so peacefully in his arms, looked like she’d just been mud wrestling in a hurricane. She was a mess of dirt and twigs and scratches, and her hair was frayed and disheveled, even despite her braids. Perhaps I should have stopped to help after all, even if just for the fact that I’d missed out on the show of it. Being a complete disaster was a good look on her, I’ll admit. The clean and polite Dorothy didn’t interest me much, but the messy Dorothy who smelled of sex and dirt was…

No, I had no interest in the girl beyond her shoes. She was a means to an end.

I tore my eyes from the ever sweet and bonding couple, not wanting to think on that further, in favor of this new face in our band of fucked up men. “A beast man?” I asked with a tip of my chin.

“Did you figure that out just by my handsome face?” He nodded and extended a hand in introduction. An absurd gesture that I ignored. He seemed unbothered, however. “Leon. Former Alpha of the Lion Shifters at your service. Crowe and Talos, right? I’ve heard a lot about you in the last couple hours.”

“There are no Lion Shifters left in Oz.” I stared him down with no interest in his niceties.

“Correct. There are no Lion Shifters left in Oz.” The way his eye twitched as he said it was a tell all its own. “That’s why we’re all going to see the Wizard.”

“I see.”One of us. I should have known. “Well, hopefully you’re less of a burden than these two.”

His glance back at Dorothy and the dog was rather curious. “You won’t even notice I’m here.”

With that, he continued past me, and Talos gave me a nod before he followed suit. When Tobias neared, I met his eyes first. “Good work.” I said blandly. Then I shifted to Dorothy. “Why don’t we camp by a stream tonight so you two can get washed up? You’ll want to look your best before we meet the Wizard.” I motioned toward the very distant horizon, where the first glimpse of the Emerald City had hazily come into view.

“That would be wonderful.” The sweet girl flashed me that perfectly polite, well-mannered smile. Tobias remained stoic, however. Quite unusually so. He was much more of an ‘honest and true’type from prior dealings, so I couldn’t imagine why he seemed so rattled. If the Lion had been rough with her, they’d obviously come to some point of forgiveness. I considered making a jab that would rile him up enough to get that information out of him, but I thought better of it. He didn’t seem in the mood, and I didn’t have the patience for sour whining.

He kept walking, and I followed behind, where I could easily catch the occasional glances between the Dog and the Lion.

Most curious indeed.

Chapter 17

Tobias didn’t put me down until we found a suitable camp spot. I couldn’t tell if he was upset or confused or simply emotionally drained. Oz had been a strange place for both of us so far, after all. Every day was such a whirlwind of new things and questionable characters that it was easy to become overwhelmed. I made a point to help him build the tent, while Crowe and Talos created a perimeter of sorts, and Leon went off to fetch some firewood.

The apples had given me quite a bit of energy, still lasting through dusk as we finished setting up camp. That confirmed all my fears about their calorie content, but it also meant our small supply would be adequate to sustain the eating and sleeping among us until we could find some more libations. Finally everything was starting to work out.

With a heavy exhale, I reached for my braids that were still caked in mud. I started undoing each side, struggling to get the frazzled hair free of itself without it knotting further. The corners of my lips drooped, thinking what a mess I must be. I couldn’t imagine how prominent my naturally brown hair was in my roots by now, and I had scratches and bite marks and bruises on my skin. A nice bath did sound lovely. What I wouldn’t do for some candles and a lavender bath bomb in an oversized tub full of water that was hot enough to burn the lesser men. Oh, and with jets. And bubbles. And some rose petals on the side. That’s the only heaven I wanted to go to right now.

But out here, I didn’t even have the luxury of soap. At best, I would just be splashing muddy water on my face from a cold stream.

I used to love doing that as a kid. I don’t know how many lakes I cannonballed into growing up. Back then, I didn’t care if the water was dirty, or if there might be moss or frogs or bugs or even leeches or snakes. It was part of the danger and excitement of it, and joking with my friends that every oddly shaped branch floating in the water was going to bite them was half the fun.

When did I lose touch with that carefree, happy girl? I spent so much of my adult life trying to erase the Midwestern country girl from my personality, that I forgot I didn’t used to need anything but a net for lightning bugs and some familiar faces to feel content.

But that was probably how all children felt, wasn’t it? Being an adult was complicated. I wanted so much more than that now. I wanted financial freedom so I’d never struggle and worry about putting food on the table like my aunt and uncle did. I wanted to be a success they could be proud of, and I wanted to prove I was more than just an orphan from a small town who would be forgotten by history. I could have stayed in Kansas after all. I could have found a good, stable blue collar man who would provide for me while I raised his children. I could have taken over the farm from Aunty Em and Uncle Henry and scraped by, always worrying if this year would be a good one or a bad one, but never worrying if a casting director would reject me for my boobs not being perky enough. I could have had any of those lifestyles. They were simple, but everyone I knew back home was happy in that simplicity. Happier than I was these days, at the very least.

Why couldn’tIbe happy like that? Why did I need so much excess and grandeur, that I was willing to doanything, even sacrificing my pride and dignity and self-respect in order to get it? What was it inside me that drove me to that?

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