Page 30 of There's No Place Like Oz

Fuck. So close. So fucking close…

Chapter 22

Crowe moved swiftly and immediately, almost as if he’d expected the sudden loss of consciousness. He had Dorothy in his arms before her knees had finished buckling, while I saved Tobias and Leon from a concussion or broken tail bone by only the narrowest of margins. All three of our eating and sleeping companions were completely limp and silent in an instant.

I asked as I lowered the men gently to the floor. Crowe, conversely, hoisted Dorothy over his shoulder like an old sack of potatoes.

“Mandragora is what happened.” Crowe scoffed. “The Aurora Mandragora Blossoms only grow here in the Eastern fields, but Hildy was fond of them. Ingesting the root, they’re hallucinogenic poison.Ifyou survive, you’ll go mad in the process.” He glanced at the woman on his arm. “But the smell of the flowers works more as a powerful tranquilizer. We nicknamed the plant theAssassin Root, as it’s a perfect tool for disabling and finishing a target, and can only be used by someone like you or I, who has no need to breathe or smell. As an added perk, the fibers of the plant are digested cleanly and can’t be detected even under magical analytics.” He paused for several moments, though his expression returned to something much more neutral and emotionless now. “Excellent way to hold onto power for someone who’s as weak as they are universally hated and needs some hands off weapons.” He added with a shake of his head. “You can ask me how I know, but you seem like a sharp enough guy.”

An assassination plant. I’d never seen such a thing in the South.

“Not sure. I always made sure they were dead before they woke up.” Crowe shrugged.

With a purse of his lips, Crowe tapped his chin with his index finger. “I suppose I don’t. That’s just what the witch told me. But shedidlike to make me kill for her amusement, so it could have been a well thought out lie to force me to finish the job faster. I had more of a conscience back then, and it took a minute for her to convince me to murder indiscriminately.” He shrugged, then he motioned towards Dorothy again. “The woman seems pretty tough. I’m sure her body can fight it.”

She’s ‘the woman’ instead of ‘the girl’ now, huh?Another vote of confidence. I wondered if he even noticed how often he subtly complimented her. Though I opted not to bring it up again. He was so sensitive sometimes.

Crowe turned toward the Emerald City, that was so incredibly close now, then he returned his gaze to me with a frown. “Our best bet would be to get them out of the fields so they stop breathing in the pollen. Hopefully they’ll recover on their own from there.” With that, he patted Dorothy on the ass and motioned towards our beast men. “I’ve got this one. Do you think you can—”

I had both men hoisted over opposing shoulders before he could even finish the sentence.

“Strong man.” Crowe smirked, then he turned towards the city and began making his way to the other side of the field. I followed behind him, taking note of the very delicate way he cradled her on his shoulder. His walk was steady, assuring she didn’t get jostled too much. Small gestures, but calculated and pointed ones. It was marginally adorable.

I made small talk as the flowers passed us by.

“We’ve all had our flaws. I worked on it.” His dark red eyes met mine as we walked side by side. “You?”

Such a strange thing to bond over, yet it felt natural with Crowe. It was hard to convey these sorts of things without fear of judgment to anyone else. Speaking to fellow puppets within the kingdom had been not simply frowned upon, but punishable, and having once been her favorite toy, I certainly wasn’t allowed to fraternize with anyone she deemed lesser men. I hadn’t realized how lonely being a witch’s fuck doll truly was until I’d met Crowe and found this refuge in casual conversation.

“That’s not what I asked.” He lifted an eyebrow. “Did itbotheryou?”

The words surprised me as I said them.

Crowe raised an eyebrow. “Here I thoughtIwas the fucked up one.”

That ordinarily unmoved expression of his faltered at the realization. “You’re from the Naraka Mesas. So you’re…”

“So cutting people for pleasure was…”

“Do you still—”

I didn’t want him to finish that question. I resented my origins nearly as much as I resented the witches themselves.

Crowe frowned.Empathy?“I guess I’m glad she bought you then.”

Stunned, I stopped walking, while Crowe continued several more steps. He turned to face me, Dorothy still cradled so gently on his shoulder.

“Don’t the Naraka sacrifice their men after their first son is born?”

I’ll admit I was impressed he knew so much about my clan. Though we were rather infamous in Oz, so it should have been expected.

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