Page 49 of There's No Place Like Oz

“It’s important to verify facts, you know.”

I ignored him to nod in her general direction. She lit up at the confirmation. It was likely much safer to travel at night anyway. Though many creatures could hide in darkness, the worst of the south were not in the form of bats or lizards.

“Don’t you think it’ll be more dangerous at night?”Crowe pecked at my consciousness again.

Crowe hesitated just long enough to prove me right.“I didn’t realize you cared about getting me off, Talos.”

Crowe shook his head, though the smirk that slipped was rather telling, then he communicated for me a simple “He knows a good spot, but we can stop as soon as you’re tired, and we’ll reconvene after dark.”

We walked on only a couple miles further before I directed the group’s attention to an oasis of shade and water. Palms surrounded the pool loosely, while a large rock face on one edge of the springs created a natural privacy shade from the main trail. This was a popular destination on the Orange Brick Road. Sasha had taken me here many times to relax and fuck outdoors. The abundance of cacti were great for her brand of sexual acupuncture.

“This seems as good a spot as any.” Leon said with a tip of his chin towards Dorothy. Her resulting smile was as bright and vibrant as her soul.

“I could definitely go for a swim.” She approached the beach and crouched down to dip her fingers in. “It’s so warm. It’s like a natural hot tub.”

“You don’t have to sell it to me.” The lion was already getting out of his clothing as she spoke. He hopped on one foot to get off his shoes and out of his pants, then he tossed his abundance of furs to the side. In a full blown naked sprint, he cannonballed into the center of the springs, splashing all of us with the explosion that followed.

Tobias was next to disrobe. He hesitated for only a moment, but a shake of his head dispelled any discomfort before he committed to stripping himself bare and plunging in. Leon seemed to be a good influence on him. He’d become a touch bolder and less serious since we’d started traveling with the shifter.

“This is incredible.” His words were a practical moan.

“You never liked baths this much when you were a dog.” Dorothy teased with a puff of her cheeks. The beast men laughed in response. She motioned towards the strap on her dress to remove it, then immediately she withdrew her hand. Her expression sank. “I suppose I don’t have a swimsuit. Or even a bra for that matter.” Her face flushed with sudden shyness, and she took a step back from the beach. “I’ll just dip my feet in.”

Standing on one leg, she started to remove her shoe, and I couldn’t help but notice the way Crowe’s eyes fixated on the little pink pump. Offering no further communication with me, he walked up to Dorothy and placed an open palm on her back. He leaned in and he whispered something in her ear.

His hand drifted down to her lower back. She blushed an even darker red, then much to my surprise, Crowe tossed away his hat, pulled off his shirt, and approached the water.

Dorothy pawed at the hem of her skirt, but still hesitated to undress.

“Curious?”Crowe’s taunting nearly made me jump.“You’re the only one who hasn’t seen her naked, so no wonder you haven’t taken your eyes off her.”

I flinched at that realization. But I wasn’t interested in sexual encounters with any women these days. Let alone such a delicate one.

“I told her she should relax and recover before we meet the next witch. That’s all.”

“Because your mind can’t stop thinking about all the things you would be saying to her once you get her naked, Tin Man.”Crowe swam backwards, where Tobias and Leon were enjoying the soothing, healing waters. And now I stood even more tense on the shore.

Yet my eyes were still on Dorothy, who was, indeed, still hesitating to undress beyond removing her shoes.

She turned to look at me, her face painted with uncertainty and insecurity, and I approached her with a sigh. Crowe was right about some things, but terribly wrong about others. I wouldn’t currently determine which category‘getting her naked’fell into.

“Are you getting in too, Talos?” She asked. And I answered, silently and without warning, by hoisting her up into my arms like a princess, and walking us straight into the oasis. “Hey hey hey—what are you doing?!” She squirmed half-heartedly, but the smile on her face dispelled any illusion of distress. I was comically stronger than her anyway. I dropped us both into the deep center, still fully clothed, and now soaking wet.

I released Dorothy, and she thrashed about in a pool that couldn’t be more than a few feet deep. When she realized it was barely up to her waist, she stood up, dripping and drenched and with a glare on her face. “How could you?” Her whine barely made those three words before she started laughing. Everyone else followed suit.

“I’m sure it’ll dry quick.” Leon said as he swam up behind her. He hooked his arms under hers and pulled her backwards into the water. She screamed playfully as she splashed down again. Her skirt flowed in the weightlessness of the pool, while her top clung tightly to every curve of her body, leaving very little to the imagination.

She truly did look fragile and breakable, and such thoughts had me constantly looking away as she splashed our companions and enjoyed a brief moment of simple joy. Despite their shared curses, Leon and Tobias were ordinary, somewhat well-adjusted mortals, capable of acting light and happy. Even Crowe could feign normalcy around Dorothy. Whether due to her possession of Grunhilda’s shoes, or by his own changing soul, he picked up on her energy and adapted to her mannerisms in a way I think made her genuinely like and respect him, no matter how cruel he pretended to be in our silent confidence.

But who wasIin this group? I didn’t fit in with this kind of ease. While everyone else was getting to know each other through words and touch, I was the outlier, condemned to silence, who could never truly relate to anyone. I held a sad and lonely existence even in a group. That was the truth of my curse. I was never much for casual conversation, and I was more inconvenienced and upset by Sasha’s initial petrification spell than I was the loss of my voice. Not until I’d met these people had I realized how much Iwantedto be able to speak again.

Friends: a word I knew but had never spoken.

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