Page 11 of The Great and Terrible

“They’re called serpens-rosa, and I bought them. Paid a high price for them, too.” She lifted her chin, going on the defensive, silently daring me to make a play for the prize. “The first dose is free. The next will cost ya’.”

Serpens-rosa was what Elixir Man had compared his product to. ‘Almost as good,’ he’d said. “How much? What do you want for a second dose?” Not that it mattered. I had nothing to give.

“I’ll let you know.” My companion waved to encompass the world outside the cart. “If you can survive the Governor’s Guild.”

“Oh, I’ll survive all right, but I won’t be sticking around. I’m going home.” Wait. Back up. “The man in the green suit. Mr. West. He’s a government official?”

“He surely is.”

Meaning he had security measures galore. Maybe I’d have a better chance escaping the cart?

I scrambled to press my face between the bars, peering out at a fading marketplace and an endless expanse of lime-colored flowers stretching for miles in the middle of nowhere.

Trepidation caught me up in a whirlwind of supposition. Let’s say I escaped the cart. Where would I even go? Not back to town, where a heartless executioner killed without remorse. I’d done some hunting and fishing with my dad as a kid, but I saw no trees, no animals. Besides that, I had no weapons. My stomach flip-flopped. Maybe I should visit the Governor’s Guild, after all. There, I could find a phone and call for help. And acquire serpens-rosa for Dad.

Except. The crimen. Daily decapitations. Titleholders. Provinces named after gemstones. I wasn’t in Kansas anymore.

CHAPTER 4

A ROAD TO SOMEWHERE

The cart stopped abruptly. Patch and the boys stiffened as footsteps drew closer. I remained still, not even daring to breathe, rendered immobile by indecision. What should I do, what should I do? Snatch Patch’s vial and run at the first opportunity, possibly earning another crimen? Or wait and learn my new surroundings, risking execution on Mr. West’s behalf while attempting to earn the serpens-rosalegitimately?

Metal clinked, the lock disengaging. My heart pounded. Hinges creaked as the door opened. Sunlight spilled into the musty, dusty enclosure, shining a brighter spotlight on my dilemma. Decision time.

Baldman unlocked my chain, grabbed my waist, and yanked me out. He plopped me on a green cobblestone pathway near Mr. West, who remained preoccupied with a missing button on his jacket.

As the titleholder patted and examined the velvet, he reminded me of a cartoon villain. Wildly unconcerned, wholly ridiculous and overly confident. That he’d traveled to a market with a handful of death-proxies, and had used twoof them, disgusted me on so many levels. He’d been prepared—probably even expected—to break laws, unconcerned by the innocent lives forfeited on his behalf.And mine.

Guilt pricked me, boring holes in my outrage, making room for distress. Though instinct demanded I bolt now, now, now, I bit my tongue and remained docile. Decision made. I must acquire more of Patch’s serpens-rosa and learn the best route for escape. Food, a canteen of water, a map of the land, and weapons wouldn’t be amiss, either.

“I know I sported the button before we left,” West stated. “Where could it be, Hogg?”

“I’ll have the carriage and bazaar searched, sir,” Baldman—correction, Hogg—promised while unlocking Patch, who slapped his hand. He scowled. “That’s ten lashes, girl. Want to go for twenty?”

Ten lashes for such a minor—and deserved—offense. Wow. Hakeldama was a subsection of hell, wasn’t it?

She climbed out on her own steam, not the least bit intimidated, and he scowled at her before working to free the boys.

Unease rippled through me, leaving deposits of frost. I scanned my surroundings while Hogg extracted the boys. Hmm. No homes or buildings nearby. Only a field of lime-colored flowers. Every time a petal floated on a light breeze, a new petal grew in its place. An overpowering sweet and sour odor saturated the air, turning each inhalation into a dream and a travesty. I waved a hand in front of my face.

The movement drew West’s attention, and his frown. “You remind me of someone. I thought it before, but I’m sure of it now.”

“Do I look like another sacrifice you’ve had murdered?” I snapped.

“Ah. That’s probably it.” His nonchalance threw fuel of the fire of my disdain. Not that he cared. He returned to searching for his missing button.

At my side, Patch muttered, “Welcome home, newbie.”

Hogg the henchman nudged me, a silent command to follow Mr. West, who mumbled under his breath about the condition of his beloved jacket. More consideration for an article of clothing than any person.

I stumbled over a rock. Between one shuffling step and the next, the scenery changed from a deserted landmass to an enchanted paradise, and I jolted. Oh, wow. The most magnificent mansion loomed at the end of a winding pearlescent pathway. High and sprawling, with a mix of rounded towers and pointed steeples, all varying shades of green. Sage walls. Mint columns. Jade window shutters. Pine roof.

I’d never been a fan of Braum’s story, but thanks to my hometown and the diner, I had an okay knowledge of the characters, plot and locations. “This must be what happens when the Lollipop Guild has a baby with the Emerald City.”

“Pipe down,” Hogg snapped, giving me a harder push.

I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth, saying nothing else, deciding instead to continue my examination of the grounds. A sculpture of Mr. West topped a seafoam marble fountain in the center of a yard scattered with manicured trees the color of shamrocks, circled by flowers with petals that reminded me of crocodile skin. So he was a callous murderer as well as a narcissist. Good to know.

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