Page 52 of There's No Place Like Oz

I nodded. “Are you scared?”

“Yes.” She confessed immediately. Honesty. Refreshing honesty.“I don’t think I can do that again. I understand that she deserved it, and that far more people—good, innocent people—would have been hurt if I’d left her, but that doesn’t mean I’m so bold as to be able to dole out the death penalty myself.”

“Then keep your eyes on me.” I lifted my chin and spoke with a deathly calm. “Stare into the eyes of the devil long enough, and you’ll be amazed the evil you can commit.”

“Crowe…” A pang of sympathy punctuated my name. There was no need for such sentiments. I wasn’t ashamed to be who I was. Perhaps that was the lobotomy talking, but I’d gotten comfortable in this mind and body. Perhaps even more so since I met her.

“The four witches of Oz have earned their executions. If you’d feel better calling yourself a vigilante or a savior, take whatever title you need to get the job done.” I grinned despite myself. “But for me, sweet girl, I would be happy to stroke your black wings if you’re strong enough to be my fallen angel.”

The expression she shared with me was complex and conflicted, but I meant every word I’d said. In all my own inner conflict over my opinions on Dorothy, it was that small, corruptible part of her soul that spoke to me, and it was that same piece that gave her the power to put a stop to the witches.

If I was little more than a witch’s scarecrow, then I would make her the raven who unabashedly landed on my shoulder.

Chapter 40

The orange bricks glowed at night, making the path an easy trek to Sasha’s castle. A few more stops for rest, and we were practically on her doorstep.

It was exactly as I remembered: a massive and beautiful palace of decorative gold, bronze, and tans, with towers that ended in points that scraped the sky. It was a sharp in construction, with shapes that resembled shards of shattered glass and splintered wood, and the architecture was distinctly menacing despite the luxury within. A palace befitting of a psychopath.

“Do we know what her object is?” Leon turned to me first. I looked to Crowe, hoping he might be willing to be my voice, despite our recent conflicts.

“A bronze knife. More like a scalpel, really.” The Scarecrow said for me. I thanked him with a nod. “She keeps it in her garter belt.”

“This place seems unusually empty though, don’t you think?” Dorothy frowned as she surveyed the small desert town at the base of her castle. An astute observation. This was normally a bustling town full of trade and entertainment. Street performers and merchants made up a majority of the economy in the South, and their absence was rather suspect.

Though the more violent Sasha got, the more her people were running for refuge wherever they could find it, so I couldn’t be entirely surprised. There were likely more southern merchants in the Emerald City than there were here.

That still didn’t explain this complete and utter silence, however. Night was often the most lively time here, and this scene gave me a sinking feeling deep in my gut. No guards, not even children playing in the streets. Were they all hiding in their homes? Or was there something more going on?

A dark shadow crept across the orange cobblestone streets before us, until the little moonlight we had was no longer visible. I looked to my companions when I heard a rustle from the rooftops.

Then I craned my neck, and my eyes bulged.

Eight long, powerful legs, with seven joints along their spindly length, supported the bulbous body of the desert’s most vicious predator. The Sa-Nakht Spider was colored in black hair with orange stripes up and down its body. A lock shaped mark that glowed neon decorated its underbelly, announcing its presence while also making it difficult for its prey to hide. The paralyzing poison in its fangs was one I was all too well acquainted with.

She’d always had a predilection for spiders, but I’d not realized how much she’d allowed her pets to grow. There was no longer any question as to why the streets were empty. If there was anyone left alive at all, their only hope was to stay hidden until the nightly hunts passed.

I could hear Dorothy’s pounding heartbeat from here, and I wanted to tell Tobias to calm her down. But there was no way to convey that without noise, and any movement at all would get its attention. This would have been a prime moment for me to exercise the advantage of silent communication, but I’d kept my distance from everyone, and now we would all pay the price.

Crowe was right, as much as I hated to admit it. Even if I asked him to speak for me now, it was too late to hide the slightest vibration of even the faintest sound waves from the creature stalking the rooftops.

Dorothy took one single step back. Just one. The near inaudible tap of her heel on stone was all it took. The spider stopped in its tracks. It shifted its attention downward.

Fuck…

Fuck!

I shouted to Crowe, but he was already ahead of me. She squeaked as he swept her up around the waist, and he sprung out of the way of a large glob of projectile poison splashing down on the cobblestone.

Leon and Tobias moved quickly on their own, dodging to the best of their abilities. Though the poison would only stun them temporarily, that would be all the Sa-Nakht needed to capture them. It was only my body that was subject to a more permanent paralysis—an unfortunate side effect of my metal bones and Sasha’s brand of immortality.

We split up, sprinting in different directions, hoping the narrowness of the streets might make it difficult for such a large arachnid to give chase, but the Sa-Nakht was fast and it was clever. These spiders were bred in the distant mountains, and they were adept hunters that thrived on large prey. Their long, thin legs gave them both agility and maneuverability that far exceeded even the beast men’s nimble feet, and the chances of any one of us escaping was near zero once it started binding.

I juked down an alleyway, barely wide enough for the food carts that traveled these routes, and I banged my fist along the wall in steady beats, trying to draw the spider to me. I knew the frequencies they looked for. I just had to draw it away from the others long enough for them to find refuge. If I was captured, I could deal with Sasha and her pets, but the others…

The shadow followed me much quicker than I could run. It got ahead, and I came to a skidding stop when it jumped from the roof and blocked my path.

Immediately I turned on my heel and started in the other direction. And that was when another shadow dropped between the walls and stood in my way.

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